Tis the Season
by ZacFan18
Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.
1. Chapter 1 'Tis the Season To Play

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'Tis the Season

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: If you are awaiting part II of the LBMF epilogue, please know I have begun to write it. I have also begun to write an angsty one-shot and the barebones beginnings of a couple other stories. BUT, this new fluffy baby came to me two days ago and I just had to explore it. :-) I love the holiday season, particularly Christmas, and there are so many good things associated with it that I just thought I could have some fun playing with that. Hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 1 - 'Tis the Season...To Play

_"I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus  
Underneath the mistletoe last night.  
She didn't see me creep__  
Down the stairs to have a peep;  
She thought that I was tucked  
Up in my bedroom fast asleep.  
Then, I saw Mommy tickle Santa Claus  
Underneath his beard so snowy white;  
Oh, what a laugh it would have been  
If Daddy had only seen  
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night."_

"Troy, Gabi, you kids can go play now."

Nine-year old neighbors and friends, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez looked at each other with relieved smiles lighting up their faces before standing up from the floor and dashing out of the living room, up the stairs, and into Gabriella's room. It was Christmas Day and they had just finished eating dessert while watching a movie with both of their families. They eagerly left Lucille and Jack Bolton and Maria and Eduardo Montez to continue their adult conversation well into the evening as their children scurried off to take advantage of the new toys they'd received that day.

Both families had shared the Christmas holiday for as long as Troy and Gabriella could remember. Both sets of parents, having moved far away from their hometowns, did not really have any extended family in the area. When they'd met each other, they'd quickly progressed from simply being neighborly to one another to becoming close friends. This had led them to spend a lot of time together, including the holidays. The families usually traveled to be with extended family for Thanksgiving but had always felt like they wanted their children to be able to have Christmas at home. So, as was the case each year, Gabriella and Troy had woken up that morning and opened presents with their respective families before getting dressed for lunch. This year, Maria and Eduardo were hosting -- the two couples took turns each year. Lunch had been good and the cookies for dessert had been even better. Gabriella had enjoyed the movie but was still glad to escape to her room. Troy had been fairly bored during the movie and had shifted around antsily during the whole thing until he'd heard the words his mom had spoken and taken off with Gabriella by his side.

Troy had brought over his new remote control helicopter, so he and Gabriella had fun playing with that for a while, flying it around the room and occasionally crashing it into things like Gabriella's dresser and lamps, causing quite a few bouts of laughter. After thirty minutes or so, Gabriella grew bored with this particular activity and plopped herself down on her bed, letting out a sigh.

"What?" Troy asked, lowering the helicopter so that it came to a rest in his hand.

"Nothin'...just, can we play something else now?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. What do you want to play?"

Gabriella's face lit up with a grin, as she looked around the room, eyeing her new easy-bake oven. "Let's play house."

Beside her, Troy groaned.

"Come on, Troy. We played with your helicopter."

Troy shrugged.

Gabriella moved over to her new toy, and turned to smile at Troy again.

"Look! Since I'm the mom, I'll bake you and the kids a cake."

This perked Troy up. Food was always a good reward. Grinning back at her, Troy nodded his agreement and placed his helicopter and its remote down on her nightstand. "Okay, but I don't think we should let the kids have too much sugar," he said in a mock serious tone, repeating a phrase he'd heard their parents use before, "so, I'll have to eat most of the cake."

Gabriella giggled. She moved to grab two of her dolls and handed them to Troy. "Here. Play with the kids while I bake."

Troy rolled his eyes but began talking to the dolls and moving them around so that they were "practicing their wrestling moves" as Gabriella began taking out the mixes she needed to make the chocolate cake pictured on the front of the box. She ran down the hall to the bathroom to get some water and came back in, shutting the door again before heading back to the oven. Having put the small pan into it and turned it on to bake, she moved over to the bed and took the dolls back from Troy, taking them over to the bean bag chair she had sitting in one corner of her room and placing them down gently. She placed a short kiss on each of their plastic heads and covered them with a small blanket.

"Time for Eric and Susan to take a nap," she explained, walking back over to the bed and sitting down next to Troy.

Troy just nodded, staring down at the bedspread for a minute. "Time for cake yet?" he asked, turning his head toward Gabriella hopefully.

Gabriella just shook her head "no," watching as the disappointment crossed Troy's face.

"So, what else should we do then?"

Gabriella looked around the room, searching for inspiration. Getting up quickly, she returned to the bed with the old checkbook her mom had given to her to play with. She had said she could have it since the account no longer existed and if she remembered it was just for play. "We could pay bills." Mom and dad do that a lot.

Troy wrinkled up his nose. "That doesn't really sound like fun. I write enough for school. I don't want to write on Christmas."

Gabriella shook her head at that silly reasoning. She loved to write. She loved school. But, if this didn't interest Troy, she wouldn't make him do it. Thinking back to the movie they'd been watching earlier, she tried to remember what else that mom and dad had done. Then, an idea hit her.

"We could kiss," she suggested chipperly.

"Ew! Why?!" Troy exclaimed, eyes widening at the suggestion.

"I don't know. It's what moms and dads do. They did in the movie we were watching."

Troy eyed her warily, remembering the mom and dad in the movie and knowing she was right about that. "Well...we don't know how."

"It didn't look hard," Gabriella offered.

Troy tilted his head, thinking about this.

"Besides, in a few years, we'll have to start kissing people and going on dates and stuff anyway. Maybe it's good if we know how."

"I guess..."

"Okay then," Gabriella said decisively.

"Okay then," Troy said, less sure.

Gabriella turned so that her body was facing Troy's a bit more and Troy did the same.

They just stared at each other for several seconds.

"Well?" Gabriella asked finally, breaking the silence.

"Well, what?" Troy asked nervously.

"Well, you're the boy. You're supposed to kiss me."

"Well, I'm not ready yet, okay," Troy replied testily.

"Just...lean in and put your lips on mine," Gabriella instructed helpfully.

Troy blew out a frustrated breath. "I know that," he said huffily. "Just wait...and...close your eyes."

Gabriella did as he asked and closed her eyes and sat waiting patiently, hands folded neatly in her lap.

Troy figured that he'd better just do it or she might get mad and throw the cake away or give it to her parents instead or something. Taking one more quick breath, he leaned forward and closed his eyes just before pressing his lips against hers in a very quick peck before retreating.

Gabriella opened her eyes in surprise, looking at Troy curiously. Carefully, she spoke. "I don't think...it's supposed to be that quick."

Troy groaned.

"Troy, don't you want to know how to do this right so you don't mess it up with your first date?"

Troy scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I guess."

"Then, just...maybe we should hold it longer."

"Okay," Troy sighed.

Gabriella smiled before closing her eyes again and waiting.

Troy leaned in again, hesitating a bit less this time, and pressed his lips to hers again, this time holding them there for a slow count of five before pulling back.

Gabriella opened her eyes again and met Troy's. "Better?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah." Then, she tilted her head thoughtfully, still looking at Troy.

"What now?"

"Well, I still think we're missing something."

"Errr...they did kind of...move their mouths around a bit," Troy remembered.

"Yeah...and, they were lying down some of the time too."

"Well, I guess we could try that," Troy commented, now a bit curious about this whole kissing process himself, not because he liked any girls that way, just because he didn't like to not know how to do things right. Actually, there weren't any girls other than Gabi that he'd let talk him into trying this anyway. The rest of them were too gross. But Gabi played with his cars, his action figures, and now his helicopter and she was pretty good at video games too. She was fun to play with and pretty cool, he guessed, for a girl. So, when she wanted to do girly things like this, he figured it was only fair for him to do some of the things she liked. He drew the line at letting her put makeup on him though. He had actually let her play hairdresser and cut and style his hair once, for which they had both gotten into quite a bit of trouble with their parents. At least this seemed harmless enough and not likely to get them into trouble. Why wouldn't their moms and dads want them to play...well...them?

Troy's attention was drawn back to Gabriella as he watched her change her position so that she was lying on her side, tilting her head to look up at him expectantly. Troy followed suit and settled himself into the same position facing her.

"Gabi?"

"Huh?"

"You aren't going to like, tell anyone about this, right?"

"Nah."

"Okay."

"So, how are we supposed to move our mouths?"

"Um, I think they were just like twisting their heads a bit and like, opening and closing their mouths a few times."

Now it was Gabriella's turn to wrinkle up her nose. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," Troy answered defensively. "This was your whole idea in the first place."

"I know. Sorry," Gabriella replied sheepishly.

Troy sighed and looked at Gabriella pointedly until he saw her eyes tentatively flutter shut. He started to move his head toward hers...

"Wait!" Gabriella exclaimed, stopping Troy and causing him to open his eyes and back up again, looking at her with confusion.

"Maybe we should...hold hands or something," she said meekly, feeling suddenly a bit nervous.

Troy considered this briefly before reaching over and gripping her hand with his own. Looking back at Gabriella, he saw the small smile she sent him before taking a breath and closing her eyes.

Troy licked his lips and concentrated on the task at hand. He thought about his plan of attack and adjusted his head accordingly before moving slowly in again.

Gabriella could hear Troy rustling about a bit as she waited. She wasn't really sure how she would move her lips. She figured she'd see what Troy did and mimic that. She didn't have to wait too long. Soon enough, she felt the light pressure of his lips touching hers again, except this time, he didn't keep them frozen in place. He kind of...slid them over hers a bit and seemed to be tilting his head slightly at different angles. So, Gabriella slowly attempted to do the same.

Troy was not entirely sure about this. It wasn't horrible. It was just...different than anything he'd ever done before. As Gabriella began to move her lips and tilt her head like he was, he felt a bit proud, like perhaps they were doing this right and it was something he could feel like he accomplished. Remembering something, Troy decided to try one more thing. He let his lips loosen up a bit and separated them a bit before bringing them closed once more. Hmm. It made him feel like he was trying to eat her lip without using teeth. He tried again, picturing the action in his head as being similar to the way his goldfish at home opened and closed their round little mouths repeatedly. He wondered if fish were just trying to blow kisses then...hmm...definitely things he had NOT thought about before.

Gabriella had almost pulled back when she felt Troy open his mouth a bit and close his lips over hers, almost like he was getting too hungry for that cake and would settle for her instead...except she didn't feel any teeth, so she decided that wasn't it and Troy was just doing what he said the mom and dad in the movie were doing. She figured he was right. He was usually immediately good at anything physical, so kissing was probably no exception. She had nothing to compare this to. Remembering her goal to mimic, Gabriella hesitantly let her lips separate and close again over Troy's. Hmm. Interesting. She tried again.

Troy was pleased that Gabriella was following his lead. He liked being able to show her how to do things. And, despite the fact that he had never done this before, it still felt good to seem like he was in charge somehow. Feeling pleased with their efforts, even if not entirely sure he actually liked kissing, Troy pulled away from Gabriella and propped his head up on his hand.

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes and propped herself up on her hand as well. Looking down she noticed that she and Troy's hands were still linked. Troy's eyes followed hers and he swiftly let go of her hand, bringing his up to scratch at the back of his neck for a few seconds as he looked down at the comforter between them. Gabriella brought her hand back to rest on her hip.

Troy cleared his throat.

Gabriella felt like she should say something. "Well, that was..." she paused, at a loss for words.

"Weird?" Troy filled in.

"Yeah," Gabriella breathed out softly. Seeing Troy look unsure of himself, she felt like she should say something else to let him know he did fine. She knew he hated to not do well at anything. But she didn't really know what to say about it so she just said the first thing that came to mind. "Your lips are...um...really soft."

Troy blushed at this, which in turn caused Gabriella to blush and then blush some more when Troy replied. "Thanks...um...so are yours."

Shooting shy glances at one another for another few moments, the silence was broken when Gabriella started giggling and Troy couldn't help but start laughing with her. They rolled over onto their backs and clutched at their stomachs as they continued to laugh at their silliness. Wheezing and gasping for breath, they both finally turned back to each other and smiled.

"Let's never do that again," Gabriella suggested, her lips still twitching with laughter.

"Agreed," Troy said jovially, trying to stop his own laughter.

Ding.

"Oh! The cake's done," Gabriella exclaimed with a smile, getting up from the bed and going to remove it from the little oven.

Troy sat up and rubbed his hands together in anticipation, grinning as he watched her cut them each a piece, place them on two small plastic plates, grab two small forks, and bring them over to the bed.

"Thanks, Gabi!" Troy said enthusiastically, as she handed him his plate. He noticed she had given him a much bigger piece than she had given herself. Troy smiled, thinking to himself 'That is what makes her cool...even for a girl.'

"Merry Christmas, Troy!"

"Merry Christmas, Gabi!"

And, with that, they both settled down to eat their cake, soon moving on to playing a board game and putting their earlier "house" adventures out of their minds.


	2. Chapter 2 'Tis the Season To Help

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Well, thank you and happy holiday season to all who are reading and reviewing! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. Here's your next glimpse of T & G a few years later. These are meant to be kind of snapshots of them during set holiday seasons over the years, so there will be some skipping forward, as you'll see. And, along those lines, this fic won't be very long. I'd like to complete it by New Year's or before, but we'll see what "life" has to say about that. :-) Anyway, on to the chapter...

* * *

Chapter 2 - 'Tis the Season...To Help

_"I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside _

_I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside  
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in  
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice  
My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry  
My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar  
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry_

_well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour"_

"Okay, honey, we'll be back around 11 or so. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes, mom," Gabriella said for what felt like the tenth time today. "I'm 13 years old. I'm not going to burn the house down or fall into the toilet or anything," she remarked with a smirk.

Maria narrowed her eyes at her only daughter. "Don't be a smart alec, Ella. I'm your mother. I'm supposed to be protective of you."

"I know, mom," Gabriella said in a more patient and understanding tone. "Just...you and dad should get going so you have plenty of time in case there's traffic. I'll be fine. Troy and I may hang out or else I may just hang around here and read or watch movies. You can call and check on me all you want, but you should get on the road now."

"She's right, hun," Eduardo put in as he descended the stairs and came to stand beside them. Smiling at his daughter, he gave her a quick hug and kiss on the forehead before pulling out his wallet and handing her a twenty-dollar bill. "For pizza or something if you want it."

"Thanks, dad!"

Grinning once more at his daughter, he grabbed his coat from the coat closet, put it on, grabbed his keys from the hook by the door, and headed outside to the car, calling over his shoulder "Come on, Ria! She'll be fine!"

Maria turned to Gabriella once more with a sheepish smile. "Okay. It seems my wise family wants me to get going." She finished buttoning up her coat and slung her purse over her shoulder before leaning in and planting a quick kiss on her daughter's cheek. "I'll talk to you later, Ella. Have a good night." And, with that, she exited the house and went to join Eduardo in the car.

Gabriella stood in the doorway and waved as she watched her father pull the car out of the driveway and onto the street, noting that Lucille and Jack were already seated in the backseat talking animatedly to her parents. The four of them were going to see a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert tonight in Santa Rosa, NM, almost two hours away. As the car disappeared from sight, she turned and shut the door and made her way into the living room, where she grabbed her book from the coffee table and settled into the overstuffed chair there to read it.

She didn't get further than a few pages in her reading when she heard the back door (leading from the backyard into the kitchen) creak open and shut. Gabriella kept reading with the goal of finishing the current paragraph and just as she did, she looked up to see Troy walk into the living room, a cookie in hand, and plop down onto the sofa.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey. Just make yourself at home, why don't ya?" Gabriella remarked wryly, eyeing the cookie and quirking an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"Don't mind if I do," Troy shot back with a smirk, popping the last bit of cookie into his mouth and making a show of enjoying it.

"You know, my mom is expecting to come home tonight and still have a tub of cookies in the kitchen for her Sunday school class tomorrow."

"I only took one," Troy defended, pausing before adding "and I'll only eat a few more. She'll have plenty left."

Gabriella just shook her head at Troy before returning her attention to her book and reading the next paragraph.

Troy sighed, causing Gabriella to look up. Seeing that he was staring at her and waiting to get her attention, she decided to be polite and put the bookmark between the current two pages she was on before shutting the book and placing it down onto the end table beside her chair.

"So, what are you planning to do with the rest of your day?" Troy asked, eagerness in his voice.

Gabriella looked at Troy and looked pointedly at the book she had just set down.

"Well, yeah, but you didn't plan to read all day, did you?"

"And, if I did?" Gabriella asked, a slight edge to her voice.

"Um...er..."

Gabriella was staring at him with a bored and somewhat irritated expression on her face.

"Areyouonyourperiodorsomething?" Troy blurted out, quickly regretting it as he saw the daggers that came shooting from Gabriella's eyes in his direction.

"No! Why would you ask me that?" Gabriella exclaimed, mortified by the question.

"I don't know. You just seem...grumpy, so I thought..."

"Well, you thought wrong!"

"Sorry," Troy mumbled, looking down at his hands.

Gabriella softened, seeing the wary look on Troy's face and his disappointed posture.

"It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be grumpy or rude or anything. I've just got things on my mind, plus my mom was bugging me right up until she left, so I was just kind of ready for some peace and quiet."

"Oh," Troy said softly, "I'll just go then."

"No, wait," Gabriella said, letting a small, apologetic smile form on her lips. "What is it you wanted me to do with the rest of my day?"

Troy looked up at her then, a sparkle in his eyes. "What makes you think I want you to do something in particular? I could just be curious."

"Troy..." Gabriella said with a roll of her eyes. "Just tell me."

Grinning sheepishly at her, Troy leaned forward and leaned his arms on his legs before speaking. "Well...I was hoping you, being the sweet, kind, helpful, all-around great girl you are, would go to the mall with me and help me buy presents. I have no idea what to get my mom and you're so good with that stuff and next weekend's Christmas already...and shopping is torture for a guy...don't make me do it alone, Gabi."

Gabriella almost laughed at Troy's pleading tone. "And I would do this just because I'm a nice person, huh?"

"And because...you're dying for a big, gooey and _FREE_ Cinnabon," Troy said temptingly.

"Alright. I'll be enjoying a _FREE_ MochaLatta Chill too," Gabriella replied smartly.

"Deal!"

"Okay, just let me get my coat and purse and we can go."

Troy nodded, waiting until Gabriella had gotten up from her chair and headed toward the front hall before following her. After she'd gotten her coat on, grabbed her purse and locked up the house, the two made their way down the sidewalk. They just had to walk a few blocks to reach a bus stop, where they could grab a bus to the mall.

* * *

Once at the mall, Gabriella helped Troy pick out a nice sweater and necklace for his mom, a book for her mom, a movie for her dad, a new toolbox and screwdriver set for his dad, and some gifts for some of their friends. She was feeling pretty pleased with herself and her ability to help Troy with his shopping needs. She was also feeling a bit hungry and reminded Troy of the deal he'd made with her.

Grinning, Troy led her to the food court and bought them each a Cinnabon and a drink, Gabriella of course getting her MochaLatta Chill. They found a table and sat down to enjoy their goodies.

"So, you should be all set now, huh? Or did you want me to wrap the gifts for you too?" Gabriella asked with a knowing smile.

"Well, since you're offering..." Troy responded slyly.

"Oh, no...I'll _help_ you get the wrapping supplies, but you are wrapping them yourself. Besides, if I did the wrapping, everyone would know. The gifts would lack your sloppy handiwork."

"Gee, thanks Gabi," Troy remarked sarcastically.

"Anytime," she shot back playfully.

They finished up their snack and headed off to the Hallmark store to buy gift wrap, bows, tags, and cards. As they were exiting the store with their purchases, Gabriella started to head back in the direction of the door they had entered the mall at, the one that the bus stopped at. Troy gently grabbed her arm causing her to stop short and turn to look at him questioningly.

"Um...well...I'm not quite done shopping yet."

"What? Who else is left?"

"Er..."

"Troy, stop being weird. Are we shopping more or are we going?"

"Um, so, I don't know...but I mean, I think I should get something...but I don't know what..."

"For whom, Troy?" Gabriella asked, starting to get exasperated.

"atrly" Troy mumbled.

"Who?"

"Natalie," Troy said again a bit louder but still not much over a whisper.

Realization hit Gabriella and she did her best to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside of her. Troy had had a crush on Natalie Blaine for the past three months and had finally gotten up the courage to ask her out this past week. "Oh. So the date last night went well, huh? Sorry...I had meant to ask you and then I got distracted and forgot."

"Uh, yeah...I mean, I think so. Mom and dad just dropped us off and picked us up from the movies. We didn't really talk much, but I guess it went well."

"And you want to get her a Christmas gift?"

"I think. Is that too weird or too soon or something?"

"Nah. I'm sure she'll appreciate it Troy. What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, that's just it. I don't know. Obviously, not something too big or expensive. I mean, we've only had one date. But, I don't know what she'd like."

"And, that's where I come in again, huh?"

"Yes," Troy breathed out, looking sincerely and imploringly at her.

"Don't give me the puppy dog eyes, Troy. They don't work on me. BUT I am a good friend and as such, of course I'll help you find something to get her."

"Thanks, Gabi," Troy said quietly, looking down, a bit embarrassed.

Gabriella smiled at him before reaching out and grabbing his free hand with her own and dragging him toward another section of the mall.

"Bath & Body Works?" Troy asked, once they'd stopped outside the store.

"Yeah. She's a girl. She'll love all this stuff. Trust me. And, besides, I've seen the Warm Vanilla Sugar lotion she keeps in her locker."

"Vanilla sugar?" Troy asked disbelievingly. "So, you girls like to make yourselves smell like food?" He found this concept fairly humorous.

Gabriella looked at him pointedly. "How much are you drawn toward a tub of sugar cookies?"

Troy opened his mouth and then swiftly shut it, grinning and silently conceding the point.

"You have much to learn, Troy, much to learn," Gabriella said, shaking her head and walking into the store.

Laughing, Troy followed her into the store. "Lucky I have you then to teach me, huh?"

"Lucky indeed," Gabriella shot over her shoulder with a smirk.

"So, I should get her more of this Warm Vanilla Sugar stuff?"

"Hmmm...maybe, but maybe a gift set like this one here. It has a variety of different mini-lotions so she can try a bunch. And, look...a cute little teddy bear too...to remind her of you," Gabriella finished in a mocking syrupy voice.

Troy pursed his lips. "You're lucky I put up with your abuse, Montez."

"Hmmph! Who's helping who here, Bolton?"

Troy narrowed his eyes at her playfully and picked up the gift set Gabriella had indicated. "So, these are good scents then? I mean, you'd wear them?"

Gabriella looked over the small bottles once more thoughtfully. "Yeah, these are good scents...they're all pretty good really. I'm more into the Enchanted Orchid and Wild Honeysuckle myself, but I think she'll like these."

Troy nodded his head, wearing a bemused smile as he still found the names of these products pretty interesting. "Okay, we have a winner then," he said, heading toward the register to pay for the gift set and making a mental note to come back in a day or so and buy Gabriella some of her favorite scents, since he still needed a Christmas gift for her too.

* * *

After he finished up at the register, the two exited the store and headed to the buses. On the ride back to the stop near their houses, Gabriella's cell phone went off. Smiling, she answered.

"Hey, mom!"

"Hey Ella! What's all that noise around you?"

"I'm on the bus, mom. Troy and I went to the mall but we're heading back home now."

"Oh, that's good, honey. I'm glad to hear you're not spending the entire day alone."

Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Ella, stop rolling your eyes at me."

Gabriella's face screwed up in surprise. 'How did she do that?' "Um, mom, we're going to be hitting our stop soon. I should probably go."

"Okay, dear. We're in Santa Rosa now and just gonna grab some dinner before the concert. You and Troy have a good rest of the day."

"Will do, mom. You guys have a great time tonight too."

"Thanks! I'll give you a call when we're on the way back later."

"Okay. Talk to you then!"

After hanging up the call, Troy looked over at her expectantly. "Will do what?"

"Oh, she just told us to have a good rest of the day." Just then, the bus came to their stop and they grabbed their stuff and exited, heading in the direction of their houses.

"Ah, speaking of that, what are we doing for dinner?"

"Always thinking with that stomach of yours, huh Troy?"

"Of course! So, what shall we do?"

Gabriella laughed at him before answering. "Dad left me money for pizza. Sound good?"

"Hmmm..let me think, um, yeah!" Troy exclaimed enthusiastically, causing another round of giggles from Gabriella.

Approaching the Montez household, Gabriella unlocked the door and Troy followed her into the house, shutting it behind him. Putting their bags down, they both headed into the kitchen where Gabriella grabbed the phone off the wall and went to rifle through the coupon drawer.

"I have a coupon for a Large pepperoni pizza and a 2-Liter of soda."

"Works for me," Troy said moving toward the tupperware container on the counter to steal another cookie and earning himself a disapproving look from Gabriella.

She turned away from him to make the call and order the pizza, while Troy finished up the cookie and moved to rifle through the pantry, happily producing a bag of chips a few seconds later.

Gabriella hung up the phone and turned back to him. "Okay, it'll be here in about 30-40 minutes. That gives you plenty of time to wrap your gifts if you want to."

Troy groaned. "Fine." He popped a few chips into his mouth before shutting the bag back up and putting it back into the pantry.

They moved into the living room and Troy began the daunting task while Gabriella curled back up into her chair and took to her reading once more, occasionally casting glances Troy's way and resisting the urge to laugh at him as he kept getting stray pieces of tape stuck on his clothes and was examining the bag of bows unsurely, trying to decide which one would look best on each package.

As the doorbell rang, Troy's eyes lit up as he watched her hop up from the chair and go to the door to pay for the pizza. Seconds later, Troy heard her giggling and heard a male voice speaking to her. He got up and walked into the front hall just in time to see her shutting the door softly and smiling.

"Flirting with the pizza guy now, Gabi? I wouldn't have thought that would be your type of guy," Troy teased.

Gabriella turned around and scowled at him. "How would you know what my type of guy would be?" she challenged, pushing past him and taking the pizza and soda into the kitchen.

"Oooh. Tough Gabi. Maybe a biker guy would be more your type right now."

"Shut up and eat," Gabriella replied, pushing a plate into his hand and grabbing herself one. They both got themselves some pizza and poured themselves some soda and went back into the living room, where Gabriella flipped on the television. They ate in silence for several minutes, Troy wondering why Gabriella had slipped back into her earlier grouchy self so quickly.

"I was just teasing, Gab," Troy said apologetically.

Gabriella sighed. "I know, Troy. It's just...all this guy stuff to think about now...it's...confusing and..." As she was trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to tell Troy, the house phone rang. She and Troy both glanced at the television, as her family had purchased a telephone caller ID plan in which the caller ID information popped up onto the television screen if it was on when someone called.

"Fulton?" Troy questioned. "Oh! Todd. Aren't you going to answer it, Gabi?" Gabriella had gone on a few dates with Todd Fulton, the latest of which was supposed to have been last night, if he remembered correctly. Troy didn't know him very well. He had been a bit of a star on their school's soccer team and he was also pretty smart, which is how he'd met Gabriella, as they'd competed together in the local Citizen Bee this past Fall, earning the school a new trophy. Gabriella had been a bit giddy when he'd first asked her out, which is why Troy was really confused by the fact that she wasn't jumping to go answer the phone right now.

"Um, er, no," Gabriella hedged. "I can talk to him later."

"Are you sure? I don't mind," Troy offered.

"Thanks, Troy, but I just don't feel like talking to him right now, okay?"

"Um, okay," Troy said, confused. After a brief awkward pause, he spoke again. "So, what was it you were going to say before he called?"

Gabriella looked back at Troy and then glanced away again. "Oh, it's nothing..."

"Gabi, you can tell me. Is it something with Todd?"

She looked at him, biting her lip and nodding hesitantly.

"I thought things were going great with you guys. Did something happen last night?"

Gabriella looked at him uncertainly. "I don't really know if it's something I want to talk about with you, Troy," she said softly.

Troy's eyebrows raised at this. There hadn't ever really been anything off limits in their conversations before. "Look...I don't want to bug you and like, piss you off again or anything, but, well, I am a guy...and being such, I may actually be able to help you here, maybe more than Taylor, Kelsi, or Sharpay. Just sayin'..."

Gabriella let a small smile form on her lips. Troy was sweet. It was just weird thinking of talking to him about this. "Thanks, Troy. I'll...think about it, okay?"

"Fair enough. So, how do my packages look?" he asked, holding one up for her inspection.

Gabriella giggled, grateful to Troy for changing the subject.

"What?"

"Nothing...just...you had fun with that tape, didn't you?" she teased, eyeing the copious amounts of scotch tape he had used.

"Well, if someone else had helped me..."

"Oh, no...I think the packages look...like _you_ put a lot of love into them."

"Oh, ha ha ha!" Troy remarked good-naturedly.

The two finished up their pizza and decided to watch a movie. At some point during the movie, Todd called again and Gabriella once again ignored the phone call, resulting in a raised eyebrow from Troy but nothing more. Just as the credits were rolling on the movie, the phone rang again, but this time it was Maria and Gabriella got up to go grab the phone in the kitchen. At about the same time, Troy's cell ringer went off and he dug in his pocket to grab it before answering.

"Hiya mama. What's up? I'm proud of ya, by the way."

"Hi sweetie...wait, what? Proud of me for what?"

Troy laughed. "For not calling and checking up on me sooner."

"Oh...well, since Maria talked to Gabi earlier and I knew you two were hanging out, I didn't really worry."

"Gee, thanks, mom," he remarked dryly.

"I didn't mean it like that, Troy. Look, honey, speaking of that, we'd like you guys to keep hanging out."

"Um, okay, no problem. Do you think you'll be home later than you thought?"

"Quite a bit, actually. That's why I'm calling. What's the weather like there?"

"Hmm...I don't know. I haven't really been outside for hours." Saying this, Troy moved to pull back a curtain at the front window and did a double-take when he saw the icicles hanging from the tree out front. He knew it had been colder today than usual but he hadn't expected this. "Wow...there's ice on the trees and hanging from the roof and stuff."

"Yeah, it's the same here, honey. The roads are really slick and the weathermen are advising everyone to stay off of them tonight."

"Um...okay."

"So, we'd like you to stay there for the rest of the night, keep Gabi company."

"Like, sleep over?"

"Yeah, sweetie. It'll just make us feel much better if you guys are together."

"Okay, mom. I'll just make a trip over to the house to get some sweats to sleep in or something."

"No, honey, don't. I don't want to worry about you slipping and falling and breaking something. Please, for your dear old mom's sanity, just stay indoors."

Troy sighed. "Alright, mom."

"Maybe Gabriella can find some of Eduardo's sweats for you, dear."

"Sure. It's no biggie. What are you guys going to do for the night, then?"

"We're at a hotel by the amphitheater. We're just going to stay the night here and venture out in the morning after the ice has had some time to melt."

"Sounds like a good plan. We'll be fine here, mom. Don't worry about us."

"Thanks, honey! Have a good night! Sleep well!"

"You too, mom!"

"Love you!"

"Yeah, love you too, mom. Bye."

"Bye."

At the same time Troy was having this conversation, Gabriella was having a similar one in the kitchen. As Troy hung up his cell phone and put it back into his pocket, he looked up to see Gabriella walk back into the room, a small, uncertain smile on her face.

"Um, so mom said they're not going to make it home tonight after all. Did you see the ice outside?"

"Yeah. And, actually, my mom called my cell while you were in the kitchen to tell me the same thing."

"Oh...okay. So, um, I guess you're staying the night then..."

Troy smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "It would seem so."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders in acceptance of the situation. "So, um, they didn't want us to go outside at all. So, I can go grab some of dad's sweats for you to wear if you want."

"Sure. Sounds good."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

* * *

Gabriella returned several minutes later wearing her own flannel pajamas and holding out a pair of sweats to Troy. Troy took them with a brief "thank you" and went down the hall to the bathroom to change into them. Returning to the living room, he didn't see Gabriella there, so he turned to check the kitchen. He found her there, putting the remaining pizza into the fridge and loading the dishwasher with the plates they'd used.

"Need any help?"

"Nah. I'm done now. It's fine." Having said this, Gabriella moved toward the tub of cookies still sitting on the counter, opened the container and took two out, handing one to Troy and taking a bite of the one she still had in her own hand.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be eating these?" Troy questioned with a curious smirk.

"Well, lucky for you, with mom being stranded, she's not expecting to make it back in time to teach her Sunday school class. She's already called one of the other ladies to take over for her tomorrow..."

"...so, she won't be needing all these cookies anymore..." Troy caught on gleefully. "Excellent."

Gabriella nodded and smiled, holding the tub out so he could take a few more cookies from it before grabbing herself a few more.

Having a sudden burst of inspiration, Gabriella walked over to the pantry, digging until she produced two packets and a bag of mini-marshmallows. "Cocoa?"

"I love the way your mind works!"

Gabriella giggled, as she grabbed two mugs, filled them with milk and heated each one in the microwave. When she placed them down on the counter in front of Troy, he took the packets and emptied their contents into them, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and stirring each. Gabriella opened the bag of marshmallows and poured a small handful into each mug. Pleased with themselves, they both took their mugs into the living room and settled down onto the couch. Gabriella pulled the blanket down that was slung over the back of the couch and covered her legs with it, offering the other end to Troy. He smiled, pulling it over his legs as well.

"So...Gabi?"

"Yeah, Troy."

"Do you wanna tell me what's up with you and Todd? He hasn't like done or said anything to hurt you, has he?" Troy asked, his voice filled with concern.

"No, Troy," Gabriella answered softly.

Troy processed this. "O--kay. Because you know if he ever did, I'd totally kick his ass, right?"

Gabriella choked out a laugh at this.

"I'm totally serious, Gabi," he said, not being able to resist cracking a small smile himself. "You deserve someone who treats you well."

"Thanks, Troy. Really. It's not that. I mean, he isn't hurting me or anything. I'm just...well, I'm not sure about things with him."

"How so?"

"Troy...it's weird talking to you about this."

"Come on, Gab. We've known each other forever. You know you can trust me."

"It's not that. It's just...weird." Seeing Troy's frustrated look, she took a slow breath and continued. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you. It's just that, well, you know Todd's a year older than us?"

Troy nodded his head.

"And, he's had a few girlfriends..." She saw Troy's encouraging nod again. "Wait...let me ask you something."

"O--kay."

"So, with Natalie...did you kiss her?"

Troy's eyes widened a bit at the question. He scratched the back of his neck, as was his nervous habit. "Well, uh, yeah..."

"Is that all you did? I mean, did you try to do more?"

"No. I mean, it was our first date and it was only like a minute before mom and dad showed up to pick us up."

"But, if you'd had more time or if it had been say your third date or something, would you have wanted to do more than kiss?"

"I don't know...maybe...but, I mean, not if she didn't want to. Why?"

"Well, I think Todd wants to do a bit more than I'm...used to and I just don't know if I'm ready for that."

"You think?" Troy asked suspiciously.

Gabriella looked down at the blanket, which she was currently fingering with her one hand. Looking back up at Troy, she answered quietly. "I know."

"And that's why you're avoiding his calls?"

"Yeah. I know it's silly but, I don't know what to say to him right now. He seemed kind of...surprised at least that I stopped him last night."

"And, what exactly did you stop him from doing?" Troy asked, feeling the need to know but thinking that it was indeed a bit weird talking to Gabi about this stuff.

Uncomfortable with the question, Gabriella looked away again before answering. "Just...um...from putting his hands...places..." She looked back at Troy, seeing the recognition on his face and not feeling the need to explain any further.

"Gabi, you had every right to stop him."

"I know. But, should I have? I mean, I like him. Am I being childish?"

"At the risk of sounding like our parents, Gabi, we're only thirteen, not thirty. No, I don't think it's childish. If you stopped him, it's because you aren't ready to go there yet. You went with what your mind or your gut or whatever was telling you and I don't think that's a bad thing."

"Yeah...I guess. But, do you think he'll understand that? I mean, what if he tries again on our next date or the one after that and I'm not ready...or what if he doesn't want to go on any more dates now?"

"First of all, you know the answer to that. He's an idiot if he doesn't want to date you anymore and I doubt that's the case. He seemed pretty eager to reach you tonight. And, as far as future dates, if you're not ready, you're not ready. If he's not okay with that, then he's not good enough for you, Gabi. Just don't let him pressure you to do anything you don't want to, okay?"

Gabriella gave Troy a genuinely thankful smile. "Thank you, Troy. It's, um, helpful to get another guy's perspective and you're a pretty good listener."

"Anytime, Gab. See, I didn't just come over to eat up all your food or to make you entertain me all day. I came to help my troubled friend."

Gabriella just rolled her eyes playfully at him. "How strange is it that we're discussing how far we go with our dates?"

Troy chuckled good-naturedly. "It's pretty strange. But it's not a bad thing. Just new."

"I guess it's just part of growing up. So, care to tell me just how you put the moves on Natalie last night, studly?"

Troy coughed nervously. "Not particularly, Gabi."

"Oh, fine. Spoilsport. Do you think she'd be distressed to know that we were spending the night together?" she teased.

"Now, Gabriella Montez, what are you suggesting? Should I tell Todd I am much more suave than he is?" Troy teased right back.

"Shut up, Troy!" Gabriella responded, a crimson blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Ha! Can dish it out but can't take it...I see."

"Hmmph! Shall I call up Natalie and find out just how far she'd let you go on date #2?"

"Don't you dare!"

"Oh, but I'm curious...do you think she's still up?" she said, putting her empty cocoa mug down onto the end table and moving toward the chair where Troy had placed his jeans earlier, reaching toward his pocket to try to fish out his cell phone.

Troy saw what she was doing and before she could search through his phone for Natalie's number, he had put down his own mug, gotten up from the couch and grabbed her from behind, tickling her sides and making her drop the phone back onto the chair as she struggled to tug his hands away. She was out of breath from laughing when Troy finally stopped and they both collapsed back onto the couch.

"No calling Natalie, okay?"

"I was just kidding, Troy."

"Hey...just making sure," Troy grinned. "Obviously, I was just kidding about telling Todd that."

"Obviously...you're so not suave, Bolton," she said with mirth.

"Ohhh...you're just asking to be tickled again, Montez."

"No! No!" Gabriella laughed, holding out her hands to keep him away. "Truce?" This was said with big eyes and eyelash batting that did not go unnoticed by Troy. His friend was certainly learning how to use her female powers already. Todd didn't stand a chance.

"Alright, silly girl. Truce."

They sat there smiling at each other for several seconds before Gabriella felt a wave of sleepiness overcome her and let out a yawn. Troy followed suit seconds later, causing both of them to laugh at themselves.

"I guess we should go catch some Zs now," Troy suggested.

"Yeah. Sounds like a good idea."

They shut off everything in the living room before carrying their mugs into the kitchen and loading them into the dishwasher. "So, um, where do you want me to sleep?" Troy asked.

Gabriella thought about this. She wasn't particularly used to going to sleep without her parents in the house. Though she didn't think about it or appreciate it most nights, they were a safety net, a comfort to her. It was good that Troy was here but for some reason, she didn't really want him to sleep in a separate room.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind and wouldn't think it was too weird, I'd feel better if you just slept in my room with me."

Troy thought about this. A few years ago, it wouldn't have felt awkward. But Troy was not oblivious to the fact that they were growing up, and though he didn't really think of Gabi in that way, he was a guy and he did notice that when she hugged him now, well, there was more of her softness between them. Her body had developed. She had curves now. And, she did smell good and she was getting prettier by the day, as far as he was concerned. And sharing a bed with a girl was now kind of thrilling, even if that girl was one he'd grown up with. It's not that they would do anything; it was just the idea that they were of an age where they could, where their parents should be concerned if they did share a bed. Kind of liking that thought, Troy smiled to himself and went with his gut.

"I don't mind."

The two of them made sure all the doors were locked downstairs, turned off the kitchen light and made their way up to Gabriella's bedroom. After both had used the restroom and brushed their teeth (Gabriella having given Troy the extra new toothbrush her dentist had just given her on her recent appointment), they crawled under the covers and shut off the light, both turning so that their backs were turned toward each other. After several moments of silence, Troy spoke.

"Hey Gabi...thanks again for your help, today! Sorry you didn't get to read much of your book."

"That's okay, Troy. I think I had much more fun hanging with you anyway. And, thanks again for your help too."

Two smiles formed on two faces there in the dark.

"Goodnight, Gabi," Troy said softly.

"Night, Troy."

* * *

Author's Note: Up next - cookies, carols...changes. ;-) Thanks again for reading! I'll try to get the next one up soon!


	3. Chapter 3 'Tis the Season To Bake

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Gracias! Merci! Danke! Thank you! For reading and for reviewing. You guys are awesome! As a random side note, I just have to tell you that the day after I posted the last chapter, we had ice in my area. Mind you, I'm in an area where it was not expected. It was 70-something in the morning and 20-something that night. So, hmmm...if I can bring on ice, maybe I can randomly make freshly baked cookies appear. I'll let you know how that goes. :-) Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3 - 'Tis the Season...To Bake

_"I sure do like those Christmas cookies sugar  
I sure do like those Christmas cookies babe  
She gets mad if they're all gone  
Before she gets the icing put on  
I sure do like those Christmas cookies babe_

_Now there's a benefit to all of this  
That you might have overlooked or missed  
So now let me tell you the best part of it all  
Every time she sticks another batch in the oven  
There's fifteen minutes for some kissin' and huggin'  
That's why I eat Christmas cookies all year long"  
_

.

An amused 16-year-old Gabriella Montez leaned back against the sofa and shook her head as she watched her friends argue.

"Chad! The last cd you bought was the Prep School Musical soundtrack that I wanted. Remember? You got it for me to try to make me forget about how you completely forgot about our 3-month anniversary," Taylor remarked wryly.

"Yeah...and keep that down, will ya? Anyway, I bought that for you. The last cd I bought for me was Kanye's new one, like I put down."

"But the card didn't say it had to be the last one you bought for yourself. It said the last cd you bought. You got Kanye's cd last month. You got me the soundtrack last week!" Taylor exclaimed in an exasperated tone.

The gang, which included Gabriella, Taylor McKessie, Chad Danforth, Kelsi Nielson, Jason Cross, Sharpay Evans, Ryan Evans, Zeke Baylor, Martha Cox, and of course, Troy Bolton as well, were all gathered at the Bolton residence with the purpose of enjoying a lazy afternoon. They were officially on winter break from school and it was Christmas Eve and they had decided to hang out together. Sharpay and Ryan had brought over a new game they had gotten called First & Last. It contained three sets of cards, Firsts, Lasts, and In Betweens. Firsts cards contained questions about the player's first experience of something (e.g., first movie seen in the theater, first vacation, etc). Lasts cards contained questions about a player's last experience of something, in this case, the last cd Chad had bought. In Betweens cards were wild cards; they could ask a player's experience of anything. For instance, Kelsi had drawn one of these earlier that had asked her to name two books she would or had re-read and Zeke had appropriately drawn one earlier asking what his favorite food was. The catch to the game was that, as each player drew a card (the type determined by the roll of a special die), he or she wrote down the answer to the question at the same time that the rest of the group wrote down how they thought that person would answer the question. Group members earned points for guessing correctly and the player who drew the card earned points for the number of persons who guessed correctly as well. The way to win the game was to reach a set level of points. The overall purpose of the game was to determine how well you knew your friends and to learn more about one another. It was pretty fun overall, but misunderstandings or different interpretations of the questions were possible, as was the current case with Chad and Taylor.

"Guys," Kelsi said tentatively, holding the game box under her nose and examining it carefully, "it looks like the rule is that whatever the current player writes is what counts. So, we have to go with Chad's answer."

"Fine," Taylor huffed, shaking her head at her boyfriend, annoyed that he had added his own specification to the question, which had cost her a point and made it seem as if she didn't know something about him.

Chad threw his hands up in the air helplessly, trying to seek forgiveness from Taylor with his eyes, which it seemed he eventually succeeded in receiving as Taylor's frown soon turned into a humored smile. She could very easily get mad at Chad but she didn't stay mad at him very well.

Gabriella and the rest of their friends were used to such displays from the couple. Troy nudged Gabriella in the side to get her attention and made a show of rolling his eyes at their antics once she had turned to look at him, causing her to stifle a giggle at his reaction.

"Troy, I think it's your turn," Ryan pointed out helpfully.

"Ah, so it is," Troy said with a smirk, picking up and rolling the die and seeing that he was meant to choose a Lasts card. "What was the last movie you saw in theaters?" he read aloud, before starting to write on his tablet and waiting until everyone else had done the same.

"Okay, I'm thinking it was that Rocky XII or whatever," Sharpay guessed. "Didn't you guys all go see that a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, we did. That's what I put down," Jason remarked.

"Nope," Troy put in with a grin.

"I know you were talking about seeing that new movie with Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz. Was it that one?" Taylor asked.

"Aw, yeah!" Chad, Zeke, and Jason exclaimed.

Troy grinned further. "I did see that, but that wasn't the last one I saw."

The group let out a collective sigh. "Gabi?" they said in a defeated tone.

"Guys, don't use that tone. I only know because I was there and it just happened. Troy drug me to see the new horror movie 'Blood Lines' last night."

"How very _festive_, Troy," Sharpay remarked, distastefully.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly my idea," Gabriella responded. "I don't relish being surrounded by scariness any time of year, let alone around Christmas, when I'm supposed to feel nothing but _comfort and joy_."

"Hey! I protected you," Troy defended.

"Ha! You kept grabbing me and making me jump during some of the most tense scenes."

Troy smirked. "Yeah, well, you make it much too easy, Gab."

Gabriella simply responded by narrowing her eyes at him.

"Okay. Guess Gabi's the only one who gets that point," Jason surmised.

"Naturally," Taylor muttered under her breath.

"Gabi, it's your turn," Zeke encouraged.

"Okay," Gabriella replied, picking the die up and tossing it gently. Seeing the result, she reached toward the Firsts cards and read her question aloud. "Who was your first kiss with?" Gabriella blushed, looking down at her tablet and pausing before writing her answer.

Everyone else in the room wrote their guesses.

"Todd Fulton?" Chad guessed.

"Nope. Not the first," Gabriella responded.

"Martha, what was your guess?" Ryan asked, having also written down Todd's name.

"Um, well, Troy?" she said tentatively. Martha was the newest to the group, having only moved to town over the summer, so this truly was her best guess.

All eyes turned to her in surprise and then to Troy and Gabriella, who sat staring at each other with wide eyes for a few seconds. Finally, Gabriella pulled her eyes back away from Troy and met Martha's gaze. "Um, nope."

"That was an interesting guess," Taylor remarked.

"Well, I mean, I just thought...you guys are so close and..."

"She's right...I mean, the guess isn't unreasonable at all...half the school thinks you guys are an item," Sharpay put in.

Troy and Gabriella just laughed nervously, a bit of crimson lighting up their cheeks. "That's just...people will always talk," Gabriella responded.

"Yeah. Why can't people understand that a guy and girl can be just friends? It is possible," Troy added.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and shared a glance with some of the others in the group. They all suspected Troy's and Gabriella's friendship was one that was coming to an end...in favor of something much more. She made a mental note to thank Martha later for making that guess, if it could get her clueless friends to start thinking a bit more about just why they didn't really wish to date others anymore of late and why they looked at each other like the other one hung the moon. She sighed. Maybe they'd get a clue soon.

"So, what is the right answer? Troy?" Jason asked, smirking at his friend.

Troy cleared his throat. "Um, it's Josh Walker. They kissed at camp when she was twelve...campfire and all...all very romantic and Gabi-like," he finished with a slight smile.

"Ha! I guessed right," Kelsi exclaimed. Taylor and Sharpay also happily noted their point, as they too had known the right answer.

Gabriella and Troy exchanged another glance. They both knew that technically no one had written down the correct answer. But they had said they wouldn't tell anyone else about that and they never had.

The game continued then, Kelsi taking her turn next, followed by Sharpay and so on, until it was Gabriella's turn once again. Rolling an In Between, Gabriella reached for the card and paused uncertainly before reading it aloud. "If you had to marry someone else in this room, who would you choose?"

Everyone else in the room smirked (with the exception of Troy and Gabriella), as they felt certain they would get this one correct. They were all looking eagerly at Gabriella as she finished up writing her answer. As she looked up, she was bombarded by answers from her friends.

"Troy!"

"Troy!"

"Bolton!"

The answers were pretty unanimous. Troy looked down and scratched the back of his neck. Gabriella's mouth opened a bit, just in surprise at the confidence all of her friends had in their answer. She glanced at Troy.

"So, Bolton, what did you guess?" Chad asked tauntingly.

Troy shot him a glare. Looking over at Gabriella, he answered quietly. "Um, me?"

Gabriella bit her lip. Geez, was she that transparent?

"So, Gabs?" Zeke asked.

"Erm, yeah. That's right."

"Yay!" Martha said. "Glad you earned me one point at least, Troy."

"Um, yeah...anytime, Martha," Troy said good-naturedly.

Everyone still had their eyes on Gabriella, with knowing smiles. "What? Stop with the smirking. That's the most logical answer. Troy and I have known each other forever and we haven't grown sick of each other yet. And, besides, Tay, Shar, and Kels, you wouldn't exactly be keen on me marrying Chad, Zeke, or Jason. And, Ryan...and Shar, no offense but it's not really a dream of mine to become an Evans."

"None taken," Ryan said with understanding, while Sharpay just "hmmphed."

"Yeah, um, sure...that is very...logical," Kelsi conceded.

Gabriella looked down at her tally sheet. "Well, anyway, you don't get to pick on me any longer because I have just won," she said sassily, holding her sheet out for all to see.

"Oh, fine," Taylor and the others grumbled.

"Aw, man! I was so close," Troy lamented, showing his sheet as well.

"It's no fair playing with you two! You know everything about each other so you automatically get more points on each of your questions and the stuff you know about each of us you share with each other so you get points off us too," Sharpay whined.

Troy and Gabriella just exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. Following this, Troy sent her a conspiratorial wink, which made her smile.

"Well, congrats, Gabs...and Troy for your second place finish," Zeke offered. "I think I'm going to get Shar out of here now though before you upset her further," he finished with a chuckle.

Sharpay responded with a huff and a slap to his arm, but she stood up from the ground anyway. "It's been real," she remarked shortly, before breaking into a smile she couldn't really fight off. Turning to wave at everyone, she added "Thanks for everything, guys. We really do have to get going. Mummy and daddy want Zeke to join us for our special Christmas Eve dinner."

"Aww! Give our love to _mummy and daddy_ now, Zeke," Chad taunted.

"Shut it, Danforth!" Zeke warned, a menacing look on his face.

"Now, now..._mummy and daddy_ wouldn't like your violent tendencies," Chad continued, undaunted.

Before Zeke could retaliate, Sharpay forcefully entwined her arm with his and tugged him toward the door. "Merry Christmas, everyone! See you soon!" Zeke did manage a quick wave before being led out the door.

"Well, that's my cue to head out, too," Ryan noted. "Our dinner will be starting in an hour. Thanks, everyone for helping us break in this new game and for everything else today!" The group helped him speedily put things back in the game box so he could take it with him. He also took care of gathering up his and Sharpay's presents to take home. The group had done a Secret Santa exchange earlier in the day amongst themselves, with the caveat that Troy and Gabriella weren't allowed to have each other since they'd exchange their own gifts with their families tomorrow.

Kelsi and Jason soon followed, having their own plans to get to for the evening and Martha left with them as they had driven her there. This left Chad, Taylor, Troy, and Gabriella.

"So, what are you two up to tonight?" Taylor asked curiously.

"Well, we're in charge of baking the cookies for tomorrow, actually, and then we have the Christmas Eve service later," Gabriella answered.

"Bolton, you're spending the evening baking?" Chad asked incredulously.

"Well, helping at least. Gabi's probably a bit more useful in the kitchen than I am," Troy said with a grin.

"You should have asked Zeke to stay. I'm sure he'd have more fun baking here than being boiled alive at the Evans' dinner."

"Boiled alive? You're being just a bit dramatic, Chad," Taylor accused.

"Well, it can't be that pleasant of an experience. I'd liken it to torture of some sort," he responded, shuddering at the thought.

Taylor turned back to Gabriella and Troy. "Well, I guess we should leave you two to it. Good luck with the baking!"

"Thanks," they both responded simultaneously.

"Dude, have a great Christmas," Troy said to Chad, doing their guy shake, followed by a quick half-hug.

"Yeah. You too. We'll have to shoot some hoops day after or something."

"Sounds like a plan."

Taylor moved forward and she and Gabriella embraced each other in a hug. "Merry Christmas, Gabs!" "Merry Christmas to you, Tay!"

And, with final smiles all around, Taylor and Chad gathered up their things and headed out, leaving just Troy and Gabriella.

* * *

"So, guess we should get going with the cookie-making, huh?" Troy asked.

"That's cookie-making, not cookie-eating, Troy," she teased.

"Ugh, fine, ruin all my fun," he kidded right back, as they moved toward the kitchen.

As they were starting to gather up the supplies they'd need from the refrigerator, the pantry, and the cupboards, Lucille and Jack poked their heads into the room.

"So, the rest of the gang has headed home?" Jack asked.

"Yep, dad. Chad and Taylor were the last to leave a few minutes ago," Troy answered.

"Just as well. We're heading out now too," Lucille added. "Gabriella, do you have everything you need for the cookies?"

"Oh, sure, don't ask me or anything," Troy teased.

"Pshh," Lucille responded, shooting him a humored look before turning her attention back to Gabriella.

"Yes, Lucy. I think we're all set."

"Good, good. Well, there's extra cash in the cookie jar...appropriate, huh?...if you find you need to go to the store to grab any more supplies."

"Thanks," Gabriella responded. "You guys have a good time. Guess I'll give mom a quick call to say goodbye too."

Lucille just smiled at that and moved toward Troy to plant a quick kiss on his forehead before exiting the room to get her coat.

"Don't burn the house down, Troy," Jack said with a smirk, earning a quick glare from his son before he turned, laughing, and followed his wife. Minutes later, they heard the door shut and the sound of the car starting up.

Gabriella was already on the phone with her parents wishing them a pleasant evening. Lucille, Jack, Maria, and Eduardo were all off to a friend's party that evening. Having decided that though they, the adults, would be doing all of the cooking on Christmas Day, Troy and Gabriella could contribute with the baking the night before, they were feeling happily free and ready to enjoy an evening out.

Once Gabriella hung up the phone, Troy moved to stand next to the supplies they'd laid out on the counter. "So, what do we do first?" he asked.

"Hmmm. Let's make the sugar cookies first, I guess."

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

Gabriella handed him the recipe card she had set out on the counter earlier. "Why don't you start mixing up the ingredients in a bowl and I'll set the oven to preheat and ready the baking sheets?"

"Sure." Troy moved to start measuring out the ingredients listed on the card. Gabriella did the tasks she had mentioned and soon moved to stand next to him, popping the beaters into the hand mixer and plugging it in before giving it to him.

"Can you be trusted with this?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't know. Better keep your fingers and nose out of my bowl," Troy threatened lightly, turning the mixer on and pushing it toward her at that moment, causing her to jump back a little and laugh.

"Fine, fine, _Betty_...wouldn't want to interfere with your work," she joked back.

"That's _Mrs. Crocker_ to you, smarty pants," Troy returned with a smirk, seeing her resulting grin and head shake and turning back to set the mixer in his bowl and start whipping the ingredients together.

Gabriella leaned back against the counter, waiting while he did so. When the substance in the bowl resembled the batter consistency she was used to seeing with her mom, she reached out and touched his arm briefly, feeling oddly almost a bit shy at the action, and let him know it looked good. They each proceeded to scoop out dollops of the batter onto the cookie sheet and then, Gabriella handed Troy the sprinkles to use on half the cookies and she used the nutmeg and scattered some on the other half. Putting that cookie sheet into the now pre-heated oven and setting the timer, they moved on to dropping dough onto the next sheet in the meantime.

Having done so, they still had a few more minutes to wait on the first batch before removing it from the oven. Gabriella tapped her fingers on the countertop for several seconds. Then, her face brightened up and she moved down the counter to the radio the Boltons kept sitting there.

"We could use some Christmas music," she said by way of explanation as she turned it on, smiling when she heard 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' playing.

Troy rose an amused eyebrow at her as she began to sing along.

"All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games..."

"So, that game was pretty fun, huh?" he asked, the words of the song making him think of the game they'd been playing not too long ago.

"Yeah, for the most part," Gabriella responded, turning to open the oven door and check on the cookies.

"Well, you won," Troy pointed out.

Putting on an oven mitt and removing the first cookie sheet, swiftly placing the next one into the oven in its place, Gabriella nodded distractedly. Looking up after she'd closed the oven door and removed the mitt, she remarked further. "Yeah, only after being harassed a bunch."

"Gabi, that's just our friends."

"I know. I just wish they didn't make us feel guilty or weird or whatever about how much we know about each other."

"Eh, they're just jealous...there's no competing with the infamous team of Troy and Gabriella," Troy said in an exaggerated announcer's voice. Gabriella giggled at this. "We're like the cool kids and we just let them play with us when we're feeling generous," he continued, chuckling at his own joke.

"Don't let Shar hear you say that."

"No chance of that. She's busy showing Zeke off to _mummy and daddy_."

Gabriella laughed some more at this. "Here, Bolton, make yourself useful and move these cookies to the cooling rack, please," she said, handing him a spatula.

"Aye, aye, captain...wouldn't want to be accused of slacking," Troy responded, a bemused twinkle in his eyes.

* * *

They continued on with the sugar cookies and then proceeded to make some Oatmeal Scotchies too. Once those were all made, they rinsed some dishes and started over again on the next type of cookies they were making, Peanut Blossoms, basically a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's kiss pressed onto the top of it. They were one of Gabriella's favorites.

"I saw that," said Troy, with mock indignation.

Gabriella just glanced over at him sheepishly, as she finished sucking the cookie dough from her finger.

As he watched her do so, Troy felt a pang of...something. His best friend (he'd taken to thinking of her as such over the past few years when they'd really seen each other grow and change and had helped each other through the awkwardness, talking about basically everything and feeling closer than ever) was looking rather...alluring. Even with her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, with stray hairs escaping on several sides, her cheeks warmed to a darker shade of pink from standing over the hot oven so much, some random flour dusted over her shirt and hands, and the guilty look she was giving him, she looked...well, adorable. But he didn't want to pat her adorable head like a brotherly guy friend would. He kind of wanted her to take a while longer to suck that cookie dough off her finger.

Troy's eyes widened at the implication and he hastily looked away, his eyes moving back to the cookie sheet he was greasing. He tried to shake himself out of such thoughts.

Gabriella noticed Troy's expression change and wrinkled her forehead up in confusion. 'What was that about?' she thought. Pulling her now clean finger from her mouth, she looked over at him once more, getting an idea and grabbing a small spoon from the drawer next to her. She gathered up a spoonful of dough on it and held it out in his direction.

"Here. It's only fair. Have some," she said with a smile.

Troy turned his head back to her and saw the spoon she was holding out to him. Grinning slightly, he reached out to take the spoon from her hand, sucking in a short breath when her fingers grazed his in the exchange. 'Why did my pulse just speed up? We've brushed hands before. Hell, we've held hands before.'

Gabriella pulled her hand back speedily after Troy had taken the spoon into his. She didn't know why but when their fingers had brushed just now, Troy's breath had hitched. 'Did he feel it too? That pleasure I feel lately when we touch in some way?'

Troy moved the spoon toward his mouth, enclosing it with his lips and tasting the sweet mixture. He kept his eyes on his best friend. She seemed to be watching him intently.

Gabriella watched as the spoon disappeared into his mouth. 'He really has a great mouth,' she observed, 'great shape, rosy lips that aren't too thick or too thin.' She told herself these were very scientific observations. She wasn't quite sure why she was so enchanted just watching him enjoy that spoonful of dough...but she was.

"So, we're even now," she said, still smiling up at him.

"Mmm. Yeah, I guess so. You make some good dough, Montez."

"Why, thank you," she returned, pleased by the comment. "This has made me think that I'm kind of hungry though."

"Yeah, me too. Most places are probably closing early tonight so I don't know about getting anything delivered. We could have sandwiches though or whatever else we can find around here."

"Sandwiches are fine. Quick and easy," Gabriella agreed.

So, the two continued with their baking and found time to make and eat sandwiches in between baking sheet loading and unloading.

* * *

"Troy, stop eating all the Hershey's kisses!"

"Gabi, there are plenty left," Troy assured her confidently.

"There better be."

"Look, see, I have unwrapped all 12 that we still need for this last sheet. What I'm unwrapping now are ours. Here, have one, we can both go into a chocolate coma," he said with a mischievous smile, holding out an unwrapped chocolate kiss in front of her face.

Gabriella noted that he was holding the kiss up in front of her mouth between his thumb and forefinger and it was not just resting on his outstretched hand for her to take, as she would have expected. Shooting him a skeptical look, she opened her mouth and let him pop the kiss into it. If she'd thought she'd felt a pleasurable sensation when their fingers had brushed earlier, it was nothing compared to the one she'd just felt when his fingers had briefly brushed her lips. 'Why am I even letting him feed me anyway? Am I actually flirting with Troy?'

'What am I doing?' Troy thought. 'This feels...things feel...different between us.' Pondering this, Troy swallowed, as he watched her move the Hershey's kiss around in her mouth briefly before swallowing.

"Well, I guess we shouldn't allow them to go to waste," Gabriella responded slyly, earning another grin from Troy. "But, let's remove this sheet from the oven and put the kisses on the final batch of cookies before we get too lost in our chocolate coma to remember to do so," she finished, her own face lighting up with a grin.

"Probably smart thinking."

So, they proceeded to do just that, placing the cookies on the cooling rack and turning off the oven. They had done a good job of continuously cooling cookies all evening and putting them into containers, as well as cleaning up as they went, so all they had to do was wait for these last cookies to cool, add them to a container, clean up the last cookie sheet and cooling rack, and put away the Hershey's kisses...well, if they chose to leave any to put away.

Having moved away from the oven, they were now once again leaning against the counter sideways, facing one another, the bag of chocolates sitting between them. Troy smirked.

Gabriella had scratched her cheek briefly and must have still had some melted chocolate stuck to her finger from pressing the kisses into the cookies. "You've left some of the evidence on your face, Montez...not very sly," he said in a humored voice.

"Oh! Where?" she asked lifting a hand up toward her face.

"Wait. You'll just rub more on there if you're not careful," Troy said, reaching out and gripping her wrist to stop her. There went those tiny explosions under his skin again.

Gabriella's eyes rose to lock with Troy's. His skin felt hot where it touched her own. She waited.

Using his right hand, and still holding her wrist with his left, he reached his fingers toward her face and gently rubbed them along the chocolate smear, attempting to lift the sticky substance from her skin.

Gabriella couldn't move. Her breathing was shallow. This was craziness...this...spell her best friend was now casting over her. She didn't understand it. He was just Troy. Still Troy. Her Troy. So, why was she looking at him like he held the world instead of just her cheek? Why was she waiting for something unknown to happen? He was just wiping chocolate from her face...right?

Troy's mouth went dry as he traced his fingers along her cheek. Unconsciously, he tried to lick his lips to help the situation some.

Gabriella's eyes flickered from Troy's eyes down to his lips the second she saw his tongue dart out to wet them. 'What was that? Was that supposed to mean something or was it just unconscious?'

When Troy drew his eyes away from Gabriella's cheek briefly, he saw that her own gaze was now lower, that she was staring at his lips. His fingers froze and his eyes flicked to her lips as well. Pouty, half-parted, perfect lips. Soft and smooth, as he recalled. He hadn't realized that his head had begun to incline toward them, or that Gabriella's had felt magnetically drawn toward his in the same way, until the sound of the kitchen phone ringing drew them both out of their hypnotic moment.

Blue eyes and brown swiftly widening and flashing surprise in the other pair's direction, Troy and Gabriella pulled back, startled, and realized just how close they'd been. Blinking, Troy quickly turned and retrieved the phone.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice half-cracking before he cleared his throat to bring more control to it.

"Hi Troy!" responded Maria in a chipper voice. "Can you let Ella know we're home now if she wants to come back home and get ready for church?"

"Sure thing," Troy answered, cringing as he thought his voice sounded like he was trying too hard to sound normal and enthusiastic.

"Thanks! Your parents were going to be heading out soon too when we left the party, so I'm sure they'll be walking in any minute now too."

"Okay. Great."

"Guess we could have driven together after all. I just hadn't felt sure I'd want to stay as long as they would. Oh, well."

"That's okay. You were spared my dad's driving," Troy tried to joke naturally.

Maria laughed at this. "True. And I think I get to drive us to the church. We figured it made sense for us all to drive together. You and Ella will just need to sit in the very back of the minivan. But you're used to that, right?"

"Um, sure. No problem." If Maria noticed the nervous quality of his voice, she was kind enough not to say so.

"So, we'll see you at 10:30 then. Thanks, Troy. Bye!"

"Yep, um, bye."

Gabriella had used the time that Troy was on the phone to turn away and wash her hands at the sink, wetting a paper towel and rubbing it along her cheek to remove any stray chocolate. She turned back to Troy now, trying to put on a normal face.

"Um, your parents are home. So, you can go home and get ready now if you want."

"Oh. Okay." She turned to look at the cookies sitting on the cooling rack.

"I can take care of putting those away," Troy offered.

"Um, thanks. I guess I'll just..." Gabriella trailed off, nodding her head at Troy awkwardly and propelling herself toward the back door. With one final uncertain glance at Troy, she gave a short wave and disappeared out the door, swiftly crossing toward her own yard and entering the back door of her own house.

* * *

"Hey Ella! That was quick," Maria greeted.

"Hey mom. How was the party?"

"Oh, it was great, honey. How about the baking? Did that go well?"

"Oh, yeah, mom. We got all three kinds done."

"Wonderful. Thanks so much for doing that. Was Troy much help or did he mainly watch you?" Maria asked with a grin.

Gabriella's cheeks flushed thinking about the way he had been watching her only minutes ago and _helping_ her wipe that chocolate from her cheek. "He was...very helpful, mom," she replied quietly.

Maria looked at her curiously. She wasn't sure if she had imagined Troy's anxious tone on the phone but seeing her daughter, who she knew quite well, acting this strangely about her evening definitely made her wonder just what had transpired over the past few hours. "Ella, are you okay, honey? You seem...not quite yourself."

Gabriella looked back at her mother in alarm. She really was horrible at hiding her feelings. "Um, I'm fine, mom. Just a bit tired from the baking. I'll be fine though. I just want to go freshen up and change."

Maria nodded, not buying it, but aware enough of her daughter's ways to know she probably just wanted to go have some time alone to figure something out.

Gabriella gave her mother a small smile and exited the room, ascending the stairs and moving into her bedroom, shutting the door heavily behind her and leaning against it.

'Holy crap!' was the first thought that met her in the silence of her room.

* * *

Troy watched Gabriella retreat from his kitchen, standing there stunned for several seconds. 'Holy crap! Did I really almost kiss her?'

Troy didn't have much time to ponder the question, as he heard the front door opening and snapped himself back into action and moved to place the now cooled cookies in the final container before shutting the lid on it just as his mom entered the kitchen.

"Wow! I am impressed. You guys seem to have been very productive tonight. And, the kitchen isn't a disaster area. Where's Gabi? I'm sure I should be thanking her for that," Lucille joked happily.

Troy just moved to place the last baking sheet and the cooling rack into the dishwasher, answering his mother in a quiet voice. "She went back home to change."

"Ah!" said Lucille, understanding that but not understanding her son's mood. "Well, you should probably run upstairs and do so too."

"Um, yep, I'll go do that," he said, moving toward the doorway to the hall.

Lucille looked after him quizzically. "Thanks for staying in and baking tonight, honey! I'm just glad there was no collateral damage," she joked once more, hoping to elicit a laugh or an indignant look or something from her son.

'I hope there wasn't,' thought Troy as he walked away, turning briefly to try to give his mom a small smile. "Yeah, well, glad you two kids didn't party so hardy you forgot to come home," he joked half-heartedly, earning a head shake from his mom before he turned and made the rest of the journey to his room.

Lucille just turned her puzzled face toward the counter, moving to pick up the bag of Hershey's kisses that had been left there, putting it away before moving back to turn off the radio that was still playing and taking note of the tail end of the song that had been playing..."All I Want For Christmas Is You."

* * *

Author's Note: So...no, I'm not leaving you hanging and moving on to a Christmas three years from now or anything. Age 16 is going to take a few chapters. :-) Stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4 'Tis the Season To Sing

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Well, funny thing...those freshly baked cookies did appear...after hubby and I made them. :-D Another funny thing, we may get ice tonight again...and looking at a weather map, so may Albuquerque. Ha! I know, I know...it's the little things that amuse me. Again, mwah, mwah and lots of warm fuzzies for your great reviews! I'll keep trucking away with writing this story in the midst of work, shopping, holiday cards, packing to visit family and whatnot, and hopefully you all can continue to be wonderful and keep motivating me. :-) And in other randomness...thud, sigh, and sweetness at the flowers at her door and that boy's huge smile...glad V seems to have had a lovely birthday! I'm sure she's looking at another great year ahead. Hopefully, we all are. Catch ya again soon! --Mel

* * *

Chapter 4 - 'Tis the Season...To Sing

_"Jolly old Saint Nicholas,_

_Lean your ear this way,_

_Don't you tell a single soul  
What I'm going to say.  
Christmas Eve will soon be here,  
Now you dear old man,  
Whisper what you'll bring to me,  
Tell me if you can..._

_Johnny wants a pair of skates,  
Susie needs a sled,  
Nelly wants a storybook --  
One she hasn't read.  
As for me, I hardly know,  
So I'll go to rest;  
Choose for me, dear Santa Claus,  
What you think is best."_

.

Troy and Gabriella spent the next half hour going about the motions of changing into their church attire, while mentally replaying this evening's moments in the kitchen, and the last one in particular. They both kept wondering if they had imagined things, if they hadn't really started to feel some type of attraction to each other, if they hadn't really both leaned in as though they were about to kiss...and they both kept coming back to the same conclusion...their imaginations weren't that strong.

"Ella! Time to go!" Maria called up from the bottom of the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella finished putting an extra layer of lip gloss on, throwing the tube into her small purse and taking one last look in the mirror, wondering if she was doing her lips up for someone in particular tonight. Shaking her head at herself in the mirror, she turned and headed out the door and down the stairs. Meeting up with her parents at the bottom, they smiled at her approvingly.

"You look more and more lovely every year, Ella. Could you please stop growing up so fast? You're making your old man feel, well, old," Eduardo said lightly.

"Thanks, daddy!" Gabriella said, smiling and momentarily forgetting her nervousness about seeing Troy again. "And, I'll try, but, for the record, you are far from old."

Eduardo pulled her close into his side for a moment and placed a kiss on top of her head. Maria gazed upon them, a contented smile gracing her face. She could almost imagine Gabriella was a girl of five or ten once more. Almost. Their little girl was growing into a beautiful young woman. She had told Eduardo about her odd behavior when she'd arrived home a little while ago. They both had their suspicions about the potential cause. Teenagers may like to think that their parents are blind but these two were not oblivious to the subtle changes that had been taking place in their daughter's relationship with a certain neighbor and best friend over the past several months. They wondered if perhaps Ella and the young man in question were becoming less oblivious themselves. They fully intended to observe the two this evening and see what they could glean from their interactions.

With these thoughts in mind, Maria ushered them out the door. "Ella, where's your coat?"

Gabriella's eyes widened as she realized she'd been in such a hurry to escape her awkward situation earlier that she hadn't bothered to grab her coat from the Boltons' coat closet. "Oh, um, must have left it next door. I'll be okay."

"Nonsense, I'm sure they'll let you run in and get it. Come on. Let's go."

"Okay, mom."

After locking up the front door, the Montez clan walked down the driveway to their minivan. Maria was going to remind Gabriella to run over and retrieve her coat when they all looked up at the sound of their neighbors' front door opening. Maria gave Gabriella a gentle push instead of bothering with verbal instructions. Gabriella, reading her mother loud and clear, started to move reluctantly toward the Boltons and then stopped, seeing Troy slowly walking toward her with a small smile, holding her grey peacoat in his hands. As he drew up in front of her, he paused uncertainly before speaking.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Not knowing what else to say, Troy held her coat open and up to her shoulder height and moved around behind her, waiting. Looking over her shoulder at him, her mouth opened and closed briefly in surprise before she complied and reached back to slip first one arm and then the other into her coat. Troy slid the the coat the rest of the way up her arms and helped to place its weight appropriately on her shoulders, his hands lingering there half a beat longer than necessary.

Gabriella noticed. And, she noticed the heat of him, his proximity to her back at that moment, how it made the air feel charged around her. She new the increased warmth she felt had little to do with her wool coat.

She turned around slowly. "Thank you...for remembering to grab my coat. I, um, forgot it earlier."

That tentative smile formed on Troy's face once more. "You're welcome. Wouldn't want you to freeze. I might not get my present tomorrow if you did."

Gabriella returned his smile. She couldn't help it. This was the banter she was used to. "What is this present you speak of?" she teased.

"Hmmm..." Troy began but his train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the minivan's doors opening and closing and the engine starting up. Gabriella had noticed too and with silent agreement, they both turned and moved toward the vehicle. Maria and Lucille were seated up front, with Eduardo and Jack behind them, leaving the back seat open for Troy and Gabriella.

"After you," Troy said softly once they'd reached the side of the van. Gabriella smiled briefly and climbed up into the van, placing her hand on the back of her father's seat to help herself up before scooting into the very back seat. As she did so, Troy tried pretty unsuccessfully not to notice the way her dress rose, exposing a bit more of her legs to his view. They were very nice, shapely legs. He wondered why he hadn't really noticed before. Realizing he was in fact staring, he glanced quickly away and toward the others in the vehicle and was glad to see that they were all involved in their own conversations and hadn't seemed to notice. Seeing Gabriella settled on the backseat, Troy hoisted himself up into the van and turned to pull the door shut before seating himself next to her.

Sitting down, Gabriella felt a bit self-conscious. She hoped her dress hadn't ridden up much when she'd climbed into the van. She had felt as though his eyes were on her but that could've just been her imagination. Of course, she wasn't imagining her own eyes briefly glancing at his backside as he turned and leaned to pull the door shut. Blushing furiously at her own actions, she turned her head quickly to look out the window as Troy plopped back down onto the seat.

Seeing Gabriella's focus on the outside world now rolling by them, Troy turned his head to face forward, not sure if she wanted to talk to him. He tapped his fingers together in his lap uncomfortably. The short ride to the church continued that way, with the adults chattering away and the teenagers in the back sitting silent, lost in their own confusing thoughts.

When they arrived at the church, Gabriella and Troy were the last to climb out of the minivan. Troy, of course, descended to the ground first and then, without much thought in the action, turned around to see that Gabriella got down fine. Seeing her pause before stepping down, perched precariously in her small heels, Troy extended his arm to her. Gabriella's breath hitched for a millisecond before she laid her hand in his and stepped down with his help, thankful for the steadying hand, though still completely confused about why she liked feeling it so much and why she felt regretful when he slowly let go of her hand once they were both on solid ground.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Troy just shrugged bashfully and turned to shut up the van. Maria armed the vehicle's alarm with her remote and both families made their way across the parking lot and into the church, joining the crowd of people that were mingling inside, sharing hugs and well wishes, hanging up their coats, and moving steadily into the sanctuary to find a seat. Jack and Lucille led their group, finding a pew and entering it. Troy entered next, with Gabriella following him. Her parents had motioned for her to do so and she knew that there was no special message in that from them, as she usually sat next to Troy in this service. Tonight, things just felt different, but from Gabriella's perspective, her parents would have no way to know that. Maria followed her into the pew and then Eduardo took up the end of it.

As they were getting settled in their seats just a few moments before the service was to begin, a young couple came in, looking around and seeing that the church was pretty full. Eduardo kindly motioned for them to join their pew, signaling for Maria, Gabriella and the rest of their group to scoot closer together to make room. Jack and Lucille happily complied and Troy moved closer to his mother. Gabriella bit her lip and scooted closer to Troy, still leaving a bit of space between them. Maria moved slightly and saw the space Gabriella had left, looking back to see that the young couple could still use a little bit more room so that they didn't need to feel as though they were sitting in her husband's lap.

"Ella," she whispered, "scoot further. You still have some room between you and Troy."

Sighing, Gabriella thought 'That's exactly the point, mother,' but carefully did as she was told, settling directly next to Troy so that their thighs were touching lightly. Maria's legs also made contact with her daughter's from the other side...but somehow didn't have the same effect on her. Gabriella felt the heat rise up from where her leg met with Troy's. She felt a bit of tingling from the area and tried to demurely fold her hands in her lap and look around the church at anyone but her best friend.

Troy had seen Gabriella's hesitation in moving closer to him. He'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit that it had stung a little seeing that, but he understood the reaction. From all he could tell, Gabriella was feeling an inexplicable and unsettling pull to him tonight like he was to her. When he'd leaned in earlier in his kitchen, so had she. And, when she did look at him, she wasn't looking at him so much in a 'Why are you looking at me like that?' kind of way as a 'Why am I seeing you differently?' kind of way. He understood that completely. He felt like he was doing the same.

But now, here they sat, so close they were touching...sharing body heat and personal space...very cozy and quite...affected. Troy saw that she was looking everywhere but at him and he hated that. He was grateful when the choir assembled up front and began singing, motioning for the church audience to stand and join them. As they stood up, he felt her arm brush his and took a short breath before joining in the current song.

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King..."

Gabriella felt the words leave her mouth by rote but wasn't giving fully of herself. She loved singing in church, particularly the Christmas songs, so she did her best to try to focus on doing so and not on the owner of the arm that brushed periodically against hers.

Troy always loved to listen to Gabriella sing. Her voice was beautiful. Though he heard the sweet sound leaving her mouth, he could tell she was holding back tonight. He did his best to focus his own attention on the words leaving his mouth.

After several songs, the pastor moved to stand in front of his congregation. "Thank you, everyone. You may all be seated." And, with that, one could hear the collective movement of the persons in the room as they sat back down on the pews.

"Would you all do me a favor this special evening and join hands with the person next to you while we pray?" Again, movement throughout the room could be heard. Maria grasped onto her daughter's left hand, smiling down at her. Lucille did the same, grasping her only son's right hand and squeezing lovingly. Without looking at each other, Troy and Gabriella closed their eyes and let their hands drift closer to each other until they touched awkwardly. After a brief pause, Troy moved his left hand atop her right and curled his fingers to hold it loosely.

The prayer their pastor said next may have been the most eloquent he had ever spoken in his career and two distracted teenagers in his congregation would not have noticed. Troy's mind drifted to thoughts he had had earlier that evening when their hands had brushed together when she handed him the spoonful of cookie dough. He and Gabriella had held hands on occasion, not often, but when they had, it had never felt anything more than comforting and friendly. But now, he felt like there was more. He felt the hesitation he felt when he'd go on a first date with someone he liked and had gotten the courage to ask out. Those uncertain but thrilling moments when he'd take the leap and join hands with the girl in the dark movie theater or walking through the halls of school. He thought too of the quickening of his pulse and the headiness of the moment just before he'd kiss the girl...he'd felt that back in his kitchen.

It all came crashing down on him then. The lack of interest in any other girls and the comfort and enjoyment of spending so much of his free time with his best friend. The happiness he felt when he made her smile or laugh or when she joked with him and made him laugh. The way he loved how well she knew him and appreciated how well she listened to him and really cared about his thoughts and feelings.

Beside him, Gabriella was having a similar realization, also thinking about how a day didn't really feel complete lately unless they'd had their evening face-to-face or phone conversation, recapping the day and wishing each other sweet dreams. And, the way each morning felt positive and bright when they met each other out front of their houses and drove to school together. She loved how well they understood each other...how comfortable and natural they usually felt around each other and how they were able to just be themselves. But now, there was an additional layer, something interfering with that comfort and the only thing she could keep coming back to was attraction. Something physical was obviously creeping up between them and she didn't know if it was a fluke. The holiday season did make people naturally long to be close to one another, people of the opposite sex in particular, so it could be that. But they had both spent other Christmas seasons unattached in the past and this hadn't been an issue, so she had a large amount of doubt about this explanation.

Troy's breath hitched. He liked her. His best friend. And he liked her as more than that. Unconsciously, he squeezed her hand. There it sat beneath his and nothing felt more right.

Gabriella felt the squeeze from his hand and her heart started to flutter faster. This was crazy. This was her best friend...who she told about situations in which other guys set her heart to fluttering, made her feel nervous, and that she wanted to explore things further with. Troy was not meant to be one of these guys. She didn't know how to process this. She liked him. Her best friend. And, in this moment, it was in more than a friendly manner.

Troy and Gabriella were two of the last to realize that the prayer had ended. Hearing the voices around them raise once more in song, their eyes fluttered open in embarassment and their lips opened automatically to join in with the lyrics. As the song progressed, they realized they were still holding hands, but as neither really wanted to pull his or her hand away, they allowed them to remain linked, attempting to feign a cool, lack of awareness about the matter. And, so they remained throughout the song and throughout the pastor's message that evening. They did, however, need to separate their hands at the end of the service, when candles were passed from person to person down each pew in preparation for the traditional candlelight experience of the final song. Their fingers brushed again as they proceeded to pass candles as necessary until everyone had one.

"Silent night, holy night..."

As the strains of the comforting melody began to play, small flames of light began to fill the darkness of the church. It was always tradition for the ushers to light the candles of those sitting at the end of the pews and for those persons to pass the flame and the light from one candle to the next, from person to person within their row, until all held a lighted candle in front of them. Gabriella tilted her candle to accept the flame from her mother's, smiling up at her as she did so. Slowly, she turned her body toward Troy and held his gaze for a long moment before he inclined his candle to obtain his own flame, pausing another heartbeat before turning to allow his mother to light her candle. Having done so, he returned his attention back to his friend, enjoying the play of light across her face from the flickering candle she was holding up in front of her.

Gabriella noticed that Troy's attention had returned to her. She saw the glow off his face, taking in the lightened areas as well as the shadowed planes of his face. He really had become quite handsome. She'd known he was considered quite the catch amongst the girls at school and she was accustomed to receiving the jealous stares when she and Troy were hanging out throughout the school day. She just hadn't really given it much thought before...but now she took these few moments to see what they all saw.

As the song came to an end, they both closed their eyes as the pastor said the final prayer. Then, they opened their eyes and did as the rest of the congregation did and blew out their candles as the recessional began.

"Ow!" Troy exclaimed in a harsh whisper, as he'd blown too hard and had sent some hot wax flying from the candle top down onto his hand.

Gabriella looked over to see his scrunched up face and couldn't help but quietly giggle a bit. This earned a quizzical look from Maria, so she tried to form a straight face once more.

Troy noticed her giggling and looked over at her, momentarily astonished and then humored. He leaned in toward her ear and whispered "And, just what are you giggling about, Montez?"

A light shiver ran through Gabriella with the feel of his hot breath tickling her ear. She paused before answering, turning her head and leaning up on her toes to whisper back into his ear "Oh, just you and fire, Bolton...seems to be a dangerous combination."

It was Troy's turn to feel the effects of her breath ghosting over his ear. He decidedly rather liked it. He looked back down at her and just shook his head and pursed his lips in response. At that moment, Eduardo and Maria began moving as their pew was emptying. Gabriella moved to follow but, a second later, felt Troy's hand on her arm. There went another shiver and she could see goosebumps forming on her exposed forearms. She turned to see why he'd stopped her.

"Your purse," he said, answering her unspoken question and handing the small clutch to her. She had placed it down at her feet and forgotten about it. She smiled at him gratefully.

"You seem cold," he commented, flashing his eyes to her forearms.

"Oh, um, I'll be fine," she replied meekly.

They were moving with the crowd and a few minutes later, they exited the sanctuary and re-entered the main lobby area. "I'll go get our coats. Be right back," Troy said.

Gabriella watched him walk away. She wasn't cold. If anything, she felt a bit too warm. She watched as her parents became engaged in a conversation with some of their friends and the Boltons did as well with another couple. Troy returned within a minute or so. Once again, he chose to hold the coat up for her in a very gentlemanly manner rather than just handing it to her. Again, she thanked him. And then they stood there, waiting on their parents, smiling at and addressing questions from other church folks who came over to inquire as to how their winter break was going so far and if they had done well on their mid-terms. Finally, Maria, Eduardo, Lucille, and Jack said their goodbyes to those they were speaking to and motioned for Gabriella and Troy to do the same and head toward the parking lot.

Once outside, Gabriella picked up her step to fall in line with her father, who lovingly put his arm around her and asked her how she enjoyed the service. Troy stared after her, really not sure whether or not to expect conversation on the drive home. It seemed they had been up and down, hot and cold ever since the incident in the kitchen. Jack strode up alongside his son, examining his thoughtful facial features.

"Everything okay, son?" he asked in a low voice.

Troy looked up, now noticing his father walking beside him. "Um, yeah, dad," he lied, not really wanting to discuss this with his father or anyone else right now.

"Uh huh. Okay. Well, you and Gabi just seem a bit...quiet, or something tonight."

"I guess we're just tired. That's all."

"Okay. But you know if it is anything else, I'm happy to be a sounding board, right?"

"Yeah. I know, dad. Thanks."

By this time, they had reached the minivan and Troy saw that Gabriella was already seated inside. He felt slight disappointment that he had missed her climbing up into it this time, mentally chiding himself for these less than pure thoughts he seemed to be unable to reign in this evening.

Gabriella had thought about asking her father to sit in the back with her but didn't want to bring any undue attention to the weirdness between she and Troy. She knew their mothers were already eyeing them speculatively. So, she took up her place against the back window once more, staring out at others getting into their nearby cars. Soon enough, she felt his weight on the seat next to her.

Troy saw Gabriella's position and posture, the same as when they had driven to the church. He leaned back against the seat and shut his eyes. He felt the van moving very slowly. He knew it was because there had been a huge line-up of cars waiting to exit the parking lot so he knew they wouldn't actually be on the road for some time. He figured feigning sleepiness would save him from having to visibly react to Gabriella's silence, at least as far as their parents were concerned, and would save her from feeling like she had to keep her eyes pinned to the outside world the entire time.

Troy took this time to ponder Gabriella's reactions to him further. She had leaned in for that kiss too. She hadn't dislodged his hand from hers during the service. She had even joked with him briefly a few times this evening. She did, however, not seem to really want to talk to him at any length and she hadn't wanted to scoot too close to him in church. He couldn't determine if she was acting this way because she was disgusted by him and the prospect of him liking her but in some way still didn't want to hurt his feelings too much so she tried to be nice and accommodate him in some ways. Or, there was the other possibility...she liked him too and was realizing it too and just didn't know how to react to it.

He knew one thing. He didn't like the distance between them. One of the things he loved best about their friendship was the comfort they always felt with each other. He didn't want to lose that.

Gabriella had caught Troy's movements out of the side of her eye and realized after several minutes that he wasn't intending on sitting up again for the drive home. She figured it was just as well. After several more minutes, she glanced his way again to see his breathing even, his chest rising and falling regularly. His eyes seemed closed peacefully and she wondered how he could just fall asleep without a care in the world when she had so many thoughts and emotions going on inside of her. She didn't know how she'd be getting any sleep tonight.

Missing his closeness with Gabriella and realizing that he must appear to her to be quite asleep at this point, an idea crossed his mind. Doing his best to maintain his appearance of one peacefully sleeping, he very slowly allowed his body to shift and slide such that his head eventually came to rest upon her shoulder and his arm inched over to rest lightly against hers. He fought his urge to smirk when he felt her stiffen briefly and heard her quiet intake of breath.

Gabriella looked down sharply at the messy mop of light brown hair that was now covering her shoulder. Her eyes moved further down his body to see that he still appeared to be exhibiting the even breathing of sleep. She sighed, closed her own eyes, and leaned back further into her seat, deciding to try to get a bit more comfortable herself...as comfortable as she could be with her body as aware of his as it now seemed to be.

Troy noticed her shift and smiled to himself. This was better. It might, for all intents and purposes, appear unconscious, but it was very nice all the same. He could smell her perfume, a light floral scent. Actually, he suspected it was the Enchanted Orchid scent he knew she still wore. He had never forgotten her favorite scents after that shopping excursion they had made when they were thirteen. He had to agree...it was a very good scent. It suited her.

After the jam up of cars at the church, traffic moved steadily and they made good time getting back home. It happened all too quickly for Troy and Gabriella who were both feeling rather covertly cozy in that back seat and who had come to absolutely no conclusion on how to act going forward.

Apparently rousing from his sleep, Troy lifted his head slowly and sent a sheepish smile in Gabriella's direction. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to convey to him that she hadn't really noticed since she too had in fact been swept away by sleepiness. Troy hesitated for a moment before turning and slowly climbing out of the vehicle. Gabriella followed just as slowly and he once again helped her disembark, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before she stepped down and released his hand.

Lucille and Maria exchanged quick glances observing all of this. Lucille leaned toward her friend and mumbled under her breath "Tomorrow should prove interesting." Maria grinned, nodding her head in agreement.

"Well, we should all get some sleep. Tomorrow will be here before we know it," Maria said cheerfully to the group at large. All of the adults nodded and said their goodnights, moving toward their respective front doors.

Gabriella turned to follow her parents but stopped a second later at the sound of Troy's voice.

"Gabi!"

She turned to face him, uncertainty written on her face. Now that she was facing him, Troy didn't really know what to say. He wanted to say that they needed to talk, that they needed to figure this thing out and get back to being Troy and Gabriella, who could talk to each other about anything, who loved spending Christmas together, who generally had to be reminded more than once to say goodnight or goodbye to each other because they were still lost in their own world of stimulating, humorous conversation. He wanted to say these things, but he settled for "Um...sleep well" instead.

Gabriella nodded her head and the corners of her mouth lifted in the slightest smile. "You too, Troy. See you tomorrow." And, with that, she turned around once more and followed her parents into the house.

Troy watched her and then did the same, ducking inside the house and ignoring his father's questioning eyes and his mother's sympathetic glance. "Night, mom! Night, dad! I'm just gonna head up now and turn in."

"Okay. Night honey!" Lucille responded, looking her only son over curiously as he trotted up the steps.

"Night, son!" Jack added, smirking as he turned to his wife.

They turned to walk into their kitchen so they could each grab a glass of water before heading to their bedroom for the night.

"Why are you smirking?" Lucille asked her husband as they entered the kitchen.

"Oh, just amused that it's taken him this long," Jack answered, the grin still on his face.

"You're one to talk," she teased, remembering just how long it had taken Jack to notice her when they had met through mutual friends in college and had continued to hang out within a group. It was only after nearly a whole school year that he had begun to see the possibility of her being more than a friend.

"Touche. But, it's been years for these two. The boy's got me beat there."

Lucille smiled at this. "Did you see how they kept hold of each other's hands during the service?" Jack nodded. "And, the sleeping, or lack thereof, in the van...too cute."

"I'm sure they'd be glad to know you found them cute, dear," Jack said in a dry tone, earning him a warning look from his wife.

"And how did you find them to be, _dear_?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Hot for each other," Jack answered quickly, chuckling as his wife smacked him on the arm while fighting her own laugh. "What? It's the truth."

Lucille sighed. "I know. And I'm happy for them if they're finally seeing what the rest of us have been seeing for some time, but I'd still prefer to keep them _cute_, thank you very much. That is my only son up there, after all."

"I know, hon," Jack responded softly, leaning forward to place a sweet, light kiss on his wife's lips. "Let's head to bed. At least _we_ can get a good night's sleep," he said knowingly.

Lucille nodded her agreement and grabbed her glass of water, following her husband back out into the hall and turning off the kitchen light on her way out. As they ascended the steps, Jack turned to whisper in her ear. "We could have another, you know...if this one outgrows his cute phase."

He saw Lucille's eyes widen and her mouth drop open at the comment and smirked, trotting happily off to their bedroom. Lucille just shut her mouth, shook her head disbelievingly and smiled thoughtfully as she followed him down the hall and into their room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Next door, a similar short goodnight had occurred between Gabriella and her parents. Maria and Eduardo were now snugly tucked into their bed, lying facing one another.

"So, should I be concerned that Troy was blatantly checking out my daughter's legs?" Eduardo asked in a playful voice.

Maria turned her head into her pillow to quiet the giggle that bubbled up within her.

"Only if we're concerned that she was checking out his backside," Maria returned after a moment.

"Oh, man. I so don't want to think about my little girl doing that," Eduardo groaned.

"I know, Eddy, but she was, and he was...so, how long do you think it'll be until they decide it's okay for them to be doing that?"

"Who says it is?" Eduardo asked teasingly, earning a reproving head shake from his wife. "I don't know, Ria. Ella seems a bit freaked out by it."

"Well, you know, this is her best friend, who she always confides in regarding her feelings for other guys. She hasn't ever really prepared herself to confide in him that she has these feelings for him. Plus, you know, he has seen her wearing one-piece sleeper pajamas and going through her training bra stage. It just all has to feel a bit weird to her."

"So. She's seen him wearing those embarrassing holiday sweaters his great aunt Janet sends him. And she's seen him through his gawkier head-too-big-for-his-body stage."

Maria laughed once more. "Man, growing up is hard, isn't it?" she replied with a smirk. "Still, the friendship issue stands. And, you know how important that is to both of them. They may be afraid to change things and risk that."

"Maybe, but I think they will. Troy looked like a goner."

"A goner?" Maria asked, quirking her brow at her husband in amusement.

Reaching out and placing his hands on her waist beneath the sheets he pulled her closer to him. "He had the same look on his face I've had since the moment I laid eyes on you," he said huskily, seeing the sparkle in her eyes before closing the gap between them and kissing her.

"Mmmmm, well, if he has half your charm and determination, our daughter won't stand a chance," Maria replied softly, pulling back for just a moment. Seeing her husband's smile of agreement, she leaned back in and joined her lips to his once more, swiftly forgetting about her only daughter's confusing situation.

* * *

Said daughter lay wide-eyed in her bed down the hall. Should she talk to Troy about what happened? Should they just try to move on as though it hadn't happened? Could she do so considering some part of her kept trying to imagine what it would have been like if it had? Man, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Troy's thoughts only yards away were not very different. Did he do all he could to restore the comfort of their friendship or did he follow what seemed to be the bigger pull right now and try to finish what he'd started earlier that night in the kitchen? And, if he did, and they couldn't go back, would they both be glad he did? Troy stood up from the bed and started pacing back and forth. This was going to be a long night.


	5. Tis the Season To Have Sweet Dreams

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Brrrrrrr! I left 67 degrees Fahrenheit to be in 27 degrees Fahrenheit or less...what was I thinking? Oh, yeah, family, friends, Christmas...all that good stuff. So, here I sit at my parents' computer over a thousand miles from home to upload this latest chapter for you all. Christmas visiting usually keeps us pretty busy so another one might not come until after Christmas...but I think this will serve as a nice present for everyone. ;-)

* * *

Chapter 5 - 'Tis the Season...To Have Sweet Dreams

_"I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for St. Nick  
I won't even stay awake  
To hear those magic reindeer click_

_Cause I just want you here tonight  
Holding onto me so tight  
What more can I do  
Oh baby, all I want for Christmas is you_

_..._

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for  
I just wanna see my baby  
Standing right outside my door_

_I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you"  
_

_._

Gabriella watched the minutes on her alarm clock roll by. She'd been alternating staring at it and the ceiling now for the past hour and a half. She'd thought about Troy -- the Troy she'd kissed on this very bed when she was nine, the Troy who had slept in this same bed with her when she was thirteen and their parents had gotten stranded overnight in Santa Rosa, the Troy who had sat on this very bed numerous times to study, to watch a movie with her, or to talk...about needing to break up with Natalie, about not being sure if he was really good enough to captain the school's basketball team or if he had just been chosen because he was the coach's son, about how strange it was to see Chad in this committed relationship with Taylor, about what he should do for his mom for her birthday...and the list was endless. They shared it all...and now she was wondering if there was more they could and should share.

His face flashed through her mind, as it had looked almost two hours ago. She knew he'd wanted to say more, certainly more than "sleep well." She had felt some relief in that moment that he had not said more, but now part of her wanted to know what he would have said, had he not held himself back. Sighing, she rolled over onto her side, turning her back to her alarm clock, hoping that by not focusing on her need to fall asleep because the time was getting later and later that she might actually just fall asleep sooner.

Several more minutes passed and just as Gabriella's eyes were beginning to drift shut, she heard a shuffling noise coming from her balcony. There was only one person who ever made that noise, who ever used her balcony...well, as an entrance to her room, that is. Gabriella's heart started to beat faster.

Troy climbed carefully over the wooden railing onto her balcony. He had spent the last hour and a half or so pacing the floor, attempting to lie down on his bed and fall asleep, and then rising to pace the floor some more. He had looked over toward her balcony, toward her room. It was dark, but so was his. And, he wondered if she was lying fast asleep or was awake and trying to wrap her brain around what was happening between the two of them the way he was. He knew he wasn't getting anywhere, that the problem was that they always figured things out together. Suddenly, he had the urge to see her, without waiting till morning, even if it was only to see her...to spy her sleeping form with his eyes. He wasn't getting anywhere with sleep so far tonight so he decided he needed to take some kind of action.

That was really as far as Troy had gotten in his line of thought. So, once he stepped down onto the floor of her balcony and moved toward the glass, he wasn't sure what would or would not come of his impulsive actions.

Gabriella lay there listening further, trying to decide what to do. Should she act as though she was fast asleep and wait for Troy to leave? Or should she go open the door for him and see what came of it? 'You wanted to know what he would have said and you're not getting any sleep as it is,' she thought to herself, biting her lip and pausing another moment before sitting up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly tip-toeing toward her balcony door.

Troy was surprised when he leaned his head forward to peek into her room, through a section of her glass door not covered properly by the curtain, to find her looking back at and walking toward him from the other side. She looked tired and wary...and beautiful. He gulped as he looked down to see the handle on the door turning. She quietly opened the door and stood there staring back at him.

"Troy? What are you doing here?" she whispered uncertainly, her eyes searching his.

Troy knew they should talk things through, that he should share his thoughts and feelings on what had been happening between them and get her to share hers. Yet, he couldn't get any words to form in his brain and leave his mouth. His eyes were lost in hers for several quiet moments, those rich pools of brown showcasing confusion, trepidation, curiosity, and care. His eyes traveled down her face, taking in the soft, smooth area of her cheek that he had tried to remove chocolate from earlier and her slightly parted full lips, the slight breaths leaving them now visible as the cold air seeped into her room. His eyes traveled further. She stood with one hand still on the inner door handle and her other hanging limply at her side. She looked really quite petite standing there in front of him in her rumpled pajamas, her chest moving up and down with each breath. His eyes moved back up, taking in her untamed hair as it curled and fanned out around her shoulders. And then his eyes met hers again before flicking down to her lips and back to her eyes once more.

Gabriella stood very still, following his eyes with her own, feeling the heat rise up within her body under his intense perusal. As he continued, she felt as though it seemed to take a bit more effort to breathe. She swallowed nervously. As Troy's eyes returned to hers, he looked calmer somehow, like he'd come to some decision. Her heartbeat seemed to pick up its pace as she saw the direction of his gaze return to her lips briefly before meeting her eyes again.

She hadn't allowed herself to look at his lips or any other part of him but his eyes for that matter. She was afraid to. Afraid of what she might feel or do if she did.

Troy didn't seem to be feeling this fear anymore as he lifted his right hand to her face, the same hand he'd placed there earlier. He let his hand come to rest there, his thumb gently caressing her cheek.

Gabriella wondered if she was in fact still breathing. She didn't pull away. He stepped closer to her and her grip on the door handle tightened as she attempted to hold herself steady even as her legs threatened to turn to jelly beneath her. She finally allowed her gaze to lower for a moment and watched as his lips parted. They seemed quite close to her now. She saw his eyes flash to her own lips once more and then back to her eyes for a moment before closing. He had allowed her an out, an extended one...but she surprised herself by not taking it, by not wanting it. Instead, she let her own eyes drift shut and tilted her head slightly, waiting through the charged seconds before she felt his lips meet her own.

As he stood there on that balcony, Troy felt, in many ways, like he was seeing her for the first time. He was enchanted...and he instinctively knew what he'd come here to do. He had to know how real this was..._they_ had to know. Gabriella looked as caught up in the moment as he was. He took his time. He didn't want to take away from the mood of the moment and he wanted to allow her the time to stop him if she really felt she must. But she didn't stop him...and, so he found his lips joined to hers.

The kiss lasted some time. Troy and Gabriella were finding each other in a whole new way and it was intoxicating.

From the first moment his lips had touched her own, Gabriella knew this kiss was different than any other she had experienced in the past. Troy knew her, really knew her...and, no, it wasn't that he had heard her say she liked x, y, and z in one of their many conversations and was now exhibiting those things...it was just that he really did know her and cared for her and it just came through in their kiss and made the connection that she felt to him in the kiss that much stronger.

Of course, on the purely physical level, Troy certainly seemed to have taken to the act of kissing since that Christmas Day so long ago. He had been determined then; now, he was...dedicated. Gabriella felt swept up as his lips closed over hers, tugging in a lazy, coaxing, exploratory manner. She responded in kind, letting him control the tempo of the kiss. She felt his left hand slip around her waist, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back as he drew her nearer to him. Gabriella slowly brought her right arm up so that she was clutching onto his sleeve.

Troy couldn't believe how very comfortable he felt kissing her. He had agonized over having wanted to and then whether he should or not, but standing here, on her balcony, tasting the sweetness of her lips, he couldn't regret his actions. This just felt right.

Gabriella knew in some distant recess of her mind that the night air surrounding them was beyond cool, but all she felt at this moment was warmth...heat...particularly at the moment she felt Troy start to tease her lips with his tongue before slipping it into her more than willing mouth. Gabriella clutched at him even tighter as she too sought to taste him more fully. As their tongues performed a languorous dance, Gabriella finally let go of the door handle and brought both hands up to the back of his neck. Troy moved the hand that had been caressing her face and neck back to tangle within her hair. The way she was holding him to her and really giving of herself in this kiss was very encouraging to him.

As the kiss slowed to that point where they knew it would need to end, but didn't want it to, they very slowly withdrew from it...one last teasing trail of one tongue over another, lips lingering in their soft embrace before finally separating.

Gabriella didn't open her eyes immediately; she just kept her hold on Troy to keep her steady as she tried to bring herself back to some coherent state. Troy didn't release her right away either. His hands caressed her back gently and his forehead rested lightly against hers. They stayed that way in silence for several moments. Gabriella finally opened her eyes and gazed back at Troy with wonder...wonder that there could be this between them when they'd never expected it...wonder that they were standing between her room and her balcony in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve following the best kiss either had ever experienced.

Troy felt happy, beyond happy, giddy even...if it were cool to be giddy as a guy. Not wanting to sully the moment in any way, he carefully released her and slowly backed away, holding her wide-eyed gaze until he felt his legs touch the balcony railing.

"Night, Gabi," he said in a low, husky voice, giving her one last meaningful smile before turning and climbing over the railing and then back down the tree he had become so familiar with over the years...yet it had never led him to this before. Troy nearly hugged that tree when he reached the ground.

Gabriella watched him disappear over the balcony's edge. She stood there for several moments, just touching her tingling lips with her fingers and smiling a surprised but giddy smile, before slowly shutting her door and moving in a daze back to her bed. She crawled back into it, feeling snug and warm and content. Staring back at the ceiling once more, she thought she might not end up getting any sleep at all tonight, now having even more to ponder...but minutes later, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep...full of sweet dreams of one brown-haired, blue-eyed guy and his amazing lips.

* * *

Author's Note: Merry Kiss-mas, all! ;-) Review perhaps? :-D I love your reviews! Please know that...even when I don't have a chance to reply to them all. A lot of you crack me up and you all bring me lots of smiles. If you've asked me a question in a review, I will answer once I'm able. Promise. Okay, take care...have a great holiday and I'll catch you again as soon as I'm able! --Mel xo


	6. Tis the Season To Try

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-) And, I don't own Diana Gabaldon or any part of her Outlander series, though I do recommend the books...lots of love, action, adventure (all quite M, be warned)...and Jamie's pretty swoon-worthy. LOL.

Author's Note: Well, hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I know I did. :-) And your reviews just blew me away...awesomeness! Thank you!!! Not much else to say at the moment...read on and enjoy! :-)

* * *

Chapter 6 - 'Tis the Season...To Try

_"Oh Ho the mistletoe  
hung where you can see;  
Somebody waits for you;  
Kiss her once for me  
Have a holly jolly Christmas  
and in case you didn't hear  
Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year"_

_._

_Christmas morning...still age 16..._

"Ella, it's time to go! Come on!" Maria yelled up the stairs to her daughter. It was time to head next door to the Boltons' house and she wasn't quite sure what was keeping Gabriella. She did wonder what today would hold for everyone--for Troy and Gabriella and for the four parents who were well aware that things were changing between their children. Eduardo and she had noticed the faraway looks on her daughter's face at times this morning as the three of them had opened presents. What exactly they meant, however, was a mystery.

Gabriella looked in the mirror a final time. She liked the way her new wine-colored sweater and dark skinny jeans clung to her. Pairing them with her new boots finished off the look well. She didn't know what to expect from today but she was determined to look good all the same.

As her mother called up the stairs impatiently, she ran the brush through her hair one more time before tossing it back onto her dresser and heading downstairs. At the bottom, she grabbed Troy's present from beneath the Christmas tree in the living room and smiled as she nodded her readiness to her parents. Maria and Eduardo just grinned at each other before leading the way out of their house and toward their neighbors' house. They didn't bother grabbing their coats as it was a less than one minute journey next door.

* * *

"Need any help, mama?" Troy asked in a chipper voice as he entered the kitchen.

Lucille turned to look over her shoulder at him curiously. "You're in quite a good mood today."

"What? Why wouldn't I be? It's Christmas. I love Christmas," Troy responded, a twinkle in his eye.

"Hmmm. Yes, but it feels like something more."

Troy just shook his head at her playfully. "So, what can I do?"

Still studying him, Lucille pointed toward the potatoes sitting out on the counter. "Go ahead and cut and peel those please."

Troy moved forward happily and embraced the task. As he was finishing that up, he heard the doorbell ring and heard his dad's footsteps move toward the front door. Immediately following that, he heard the greetings take place.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Jack..." He heard her sweet voice from the hall.

"Oh, Troy and Lucy are in the kitchen. I was just working on getting a fire going in the living room," Troy heard his dad explain. "Oh sure, Maria, you two go on in. I'm sure they're expecting you. Eddy and I will just finish up with the fireplace and put these presents in under the tree and then come see how we can help" was the next thing Troy heard. His pulse started to quicken. She was on her way in. He quickly put the potatoes into the pot and set it to boil on the stove, rinsing his hands and drying them just as Maria walked in, Gabriella walking a few paces behind. Maria hugged him first and he saw his mother embrace Gabriella.

"Oh, Merry Christmas to you too, Maria," he heard leave his mouth cheerfully and automatically.

Smiling at him, Maria turned to embrace her friend, leaving him staring at a somewhat shy-looking Gabriella. Grinning, he took two steps forward and wrapped his arms around her in a familiar hug. Gabriella's arms came up to hug him back. "Merry Christmas, Gabi," he said a bit more softly than he had said it to her mother.

"Merry Christmas, Troy," she returned in a tone matching his own.

He held her a second or two longer than normal, earning raised eyebrows from the other women in the room. When he released her and they stepped back from the hug, the sound of his mother's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Troy, thanks for doing the potatoes, hon. We can finish them up. Why don't you and Gabi go set the table for us?"

"Sure thing, mom!" Troy replied, once again happy to help, particularly as his mom had just asked that he and Gabi go off to a separate room together.

"Sure, Lucy," Gabriella agreed, moving back out of the kitchen in front of Troy, as he had politely motioned for her to go first.

Once in the dining room, she moved toward the china cabinet where she began to remove the dishes she knew they always used on Christmas. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned slowly to see Troy studying her from the doorway. Blushing, she smiled at him and turned back to continue with her task. Troy moved to the cabinet too and began to remove glasses, which he placed on the table two-by-two. Moving back, he dug into the silverware drawer, watching Gabriella put the plates down at each spot out of the corner of his eye. She returned to help him gather the silverware; he had grabbed enough knives and was moving on to spoons so she decided to collect the forks. Their hands collided gently as they both reached into the drawer at the same time.

"Oh! Sorry!" Gabriella exclaimed, biting her lip sheepishly.

Troy was captivated by that tiny motion, his eyes moving from her eyes to her lips immediately. Gabriella was quite aware of Troy's distraction. His reaction to such a small thing made the heat rise up within her, a new warmth she really didn't mind. Before either could say or do anything further, the moment was interrupted.

"Hey, Troy!" Eduardo greeted as he entered the room. "I see you've been making your father and I look bad with all your helpfulness to the women."

Troy reluctantly turned his head to send a wide grin in Eduardo's direction. Putting down the silverware in his hands on the table, he moved to shake hands with and return Eduardo's manly hug.

"He's just trying to butter them up so they don't care when all those cookies go missing later," Jack put in, entering the room next.

"Hey! Just because you two are slackers," Troy joked, "and besides, I helped make those cookies this year. I think I'm entitled to quite a few."

"Did he, Gabi? Or did he just spend his time eating his fair share yesterday?" Jack asked in a humored voice.

Gabriella smiled and shrugged her shoulders playfully.

"Hmm. Probably no point in trying to get you to rat him out since he'll no doubt share any stash of cookies with you later anyway."

"But of course I will," Troy said with confidence, glancing in Gabriella's direction.

She smiled back at him and his heart did little flips.

"Well, if we hope to take any claim to those cookies, I guess we should help you. Is there anything not done yet?" Eduardo asked.

"Yeah, dad," Gabriella answered. "No one has a drink yet if you want to figure out what everyone wants and fill the glasses."

"Will do, Princess. Your wish is my command, just like your mother's." Gabriella smiled at the statement as well as her father's endearment. "So, what would you like to drink?"

"Hmm. I think I'll have some sweet iced tea, daddy. Thanks."

Eduardo proceeded to ask Troy and Jack as well before disappearing into the kitchen with three glasses. Jack grabbed the remaining three glasses from the table. "I'll just go help with this," he said, exiting the room himself.

Gabriella and Troy stared after their fathers for a few seconds before turning back to the table and setting out the silverware properly on the napkins at each place setting. They each started at the same setting and moved in opposite directions around the table until they soon came to stand next to one another again. Troy turned toward her and Gabriella slowly did likewise. "Gabi..." Troy started to say.

"See what I mean about the icemaker? I think it may need a new motor," Jack was saying as he and Eduardo re-entered the room carrying two glasses each.

"Yeah...thing sounds like it's had it," Eduardo agreed.

Troy just stood there silently, shutting his mouth and now watching the two fathers, as was Gabriella.

"Well, you two are fast," Jack remarked, turning his eyes to the teenagers in the room.

"Ella, I think your mother may need your help in the kitchen if you're done with the table."

"Um, sure dad," Gabriella said, her eyes flicking back to Troy's for a few moments before she made her way toward the kitchen.

And so the day continued, such that Troy and Gabriella didn't really have a moment alone or certainly not one long enough and uninterrupted enough to discuss something as big as the kiss they'd shared the night before. While their parents seemed unaware of their need to talk in private, Troy and Gabriella were very aware of it. They both engaged in polite conversation at dinner, doing their best to act as they had at every other Christmas dinner. It was exhausting. Troy wanted nothing more than to be excused to go off and spend time with Gabi, like he did every year, but for different reasons. And, this year, he was more excited and anxious to do so than he'd ever been. Of course, he knew he wouldn't be excused as he wanted until after presents were exchanged in the living room after their meal.

Gabriella was more than pleased when both families finished eating and everyone began to work together to clear away dishes and refrigerate and store leftover food. When all was done to tidy up the kitchen and dining room, the group moved to the living room to exchange presents. The parents exchanged theirs and Troy opened one from Maria and Eduardo and Gabriella did the same with one from Lucille and Jack. Finally, all that remained were the presents Troy and Gabriella had gotten each other.

They both sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree, while the adults occupied the couch and love seat in the room. Seeing that it was their turn, they shifted their bodies toward each other a bit more and smiled softly at one another. Troy reached first and retrieved a big square package from beneath the tree.

"Here, Gabi," he said softly, sliding it toward her.

Gabriella took in the package, eyes sparkling. She tentatively placed her fingers onto the wrapping paper, noting Troy's unique wrapping style, complete with an overabundance of scotch tape and a squished bow. Seeing Troy watch her eagerly, she ripped into the paper as best she could until she revealed six of her favorite books, all part of the _Outlander _series by Diana Gabaldon. The editions did look a bit different and were all the same style, looking crisp and new unlike the mangled and mismatched copies she had, having found some at library sales and bought others used from sellers online. She supposed perhaps that's why he'd gotten these for her, so she could have nicer copies.

"Thanks, Troy! These look so much better than my beat up copies. That was very thoughtful of you."

Troy just smirked. He picked up book one in the series, "_Outlander_," and placed it in her hands. Gabriella looked at him a bit bewildered. "Open," he instructed confidently.

Gabriella did as was requested of her and her eyes lit up when she saw the personalized message inside from her favorite author, including a thank you for reading and a humorous tidbit about the writing of the book. "You got her to sign it and write this for me?" she asked incredulously.

"Mmmhmm," Troy said, quite proud of himself.

"How? When?"

"When we went on our vacation to Arizona a few months ago...well, she lives out there, you know, and she does local book signings sometimes and I asked around to find out when she'd be doing one. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet her too but, since I was near her and could go to one of the signings, I wanted to surprise you."

Gabriella was beaming back at him, fingers running gently over the words written on the inside of the book cover.

"I showed her your picture and I told her how many times you've re-read her books and how you're waiting patiently for book seven...she's working hard on that, by the way...that's what she said. Anyway, she was real nice in person and wanted you to know she appreciates your devotion to the books and characters. Oh, and it's not just the first book; look in all of them. She said she wrote something a little different in each."

Gabriella's smile grew even bigger and she reached for book two and read the message, then book three and so on.

"He was really having a time of it just not giving these to you sooner, Gabi, honey," Lucille put in, knowing how much Troy enjoyed getting them for her and seeing how much Gabriella was enjoying the gift.

Gabriella looked up at Troy, quirking an eyebrow questioningly.

"It's true. I almost let it slip a few times when talking about Arizona. I did tell you about the one bookstore and coffee shop I liked...yeah, I didn't mean to...that was where I met her. So, I just said it was a place we stopped in once."

Gabriella looked down once more to read the final message in book six. She was touched. This was just another reminder of how well Troy knew her. It was a sweet, thoughtful gift and one uniquely planned for her. Putting the book back down decisively, she surprised Troy by launching herself forward and hugging him. He smiled, hugging her back. Aware of the other eyes in the room, they let go of one another and sat back into their former positions again.

"Thank you so much, Troy! This is...one of the best gifts. It's so special to me. These are great. Wow!"

Troy blushed a little at the praise but felt very happy he had made her so happy.

"Well," Gabriella said slowly, "I didn't go all the way to Arizona for your gift...though I did think I might have to at one point." She reached under the tree and pulled out a smaller, rectangular package. "It's...well...not nearly as awesome as your gift," she said with a slight shrug, handing it to him.

Troy accepted it from her, shaking his head slightly and smiling at her. "It's from you; that makes it awesome."

It was Gabriella's turn to feel her cheeks redden a smidge.

Troy carefully turned the package over in his hands, seeing the neat wrapping job and the neatly written gift tag, the perfectly unsquished little bow, and the evenly spaced tape lengths. Grinning, he slid his fingers into the package seam and unwrapped the gift. "No way!" he exclaimed in disbelief, causing everyone in the room to chuckle and Gabriella to smile.

"Way," she responded, humor in her voice.

"But, how? This keeps getting sold out the moment it comes into stores and people are selling it for too much online."

Gabriella smirked.

Maria laughed. "Oh, Troy, Ella has her ways."

Troy glanced from mother to daughter curiously.

"I may have led the Video King guy on a bit," Gabriella explained.

"She flirted shamelessly with him and got him to locate a copy at another store and have them hold it for her," Maria added, grinning.

"Ah...that wouldn't have worked for me," Troy joked.

"Now, don't sell yourself short there, son," Jack teased, earning laughs from all but Troy, who narrowed his eyes at his father briefly.

"Well, anyway," Gabriella spoke again, a bit embarrassed, "it worked. So, enjoy."

Troy's attention returned to his soft-spoken best friend. "Gabi, this is awesome. Really. I didn't know when I was going to be able to get this. Thank you," Troy said sincerely, surprising Gabriella a second later when, on a whim, he leaned forward and hugged her as she had him. While Troy was appreciative of and excited about his new Wii Ski and Surf game, he really just felt it was a good opportunity to have her in his arms again.

The four parents exchanged knowing glances as they saw the smiles on their children's faces as they embraced.

"You're welcome, Troy," Gabriella said sweetly, blushing a bit once more.

"Well," Lucille began once the two had pulled back from their hug, "why don't you two go check out that game in the basement?"

Troy's eyes lit up at this. He looked over at Gabriella happily and saw her smile as she carefully tucked her books back under the tree to retrieve again later. Seconds later, she was rising from the floor and Troy hopped up too, holding the game in his hand.

"We'll call you guys back up for dessert later," Maria said, smiling at them both as they nodded their understanding before turning to walk out of the room into the hall and toward the basement door.

"You know what? I want to see some of that game," Eduardo remarked.

"Yeah, me too," Jack agreed.

"Troy's going to kill you both," Lucille jokingly warned, seeing Maria nod her agreement. "It's so obvious he wants to talk to Gabi in private."

Eduardo and Jack smirked evilly. "Exactly why it'll be so fun to mess with him a bit more," Jack said in a chipper tone. Seeing the head shakes and reproving looks, Eduardo assured "We won't stay down there for long. Promise." And, with that, the women, laughing quietly to themselves, watched their husbands exit the room.

Troy was less than pleased to see their fathers trailing them into the basement. Having no other choice, he turned on the television and Wii game system and inserted his new game. It was as much fun as he had anticipated, and Jack and Eduardo enjoyed trying a few things too. Gabriella had watched them all with amusement; they were really enjoying themselves. They were currently trying a ski jump. The basic idea was to stand with knees bent deeply and then to straighten your legs at the right moment and with enough speed to cause your character on the screen to have a successful jump. Troy had started and the two fathers had tried after him.

"Oh, man, I stink at that one," Eduardo said, laughing at his low scores. "I think that's my cue to head back upstairs." Having said this, he slipped his shoes back on and looked at his friend.

Jack laughed. "What, old man? Scared of a little competition or do your knees just hurt?" he ribbed his friend.

"Both!" Eduardo answered good-naturedly with a laugh. "Come on. Lucy and Ria are going to be calling us back up soon anyway."

Grinning, Jack also put his shoes back on and moved with his friend toward the stairs. "Thanks for letting us hog your playing time some!" he yelled back over his shoulder as they ascended the stairs.

"No problem!" Troy and Gabriella called back, listening and hearing the door click shut at the top of the stairs.

The game's music continued to play on the screen invitingly. Gabriella looked at the screen and the Wii balance board. "You should try it, Gabi. It's fun," Troy said, smiling at her.

"Okay," she said, smiling back. She sat down on the sofa and removed each of her boots, placing them off to the side next to Troy's shoes. Then, she walked over to the plastic board and stepped onto it.

Troy walked over and handed her the remote. He showed her how to aim at the screen and reset the ski jump.

"Okay, ready?" he asked.

"Um, sure." Gabriella hit the button to start and tried to emulate what she'd seen the guys doing, except somehow her character ended up rolling off the end of the jump and crashing down below into the fake snow. "Well, that sucked," she said with a laugh.

"Try again. Just try to extend your legs a little sooner."

"Okay." Gabriella did try again and still her character failed to have a successful jump. "Crap. I stink at this," she remarked with a slight frown.

"You don't stink. It just takes a few tries to get the hang of it. May I...help some?"

Gabriella looked at him quizzically. "Um...okay."

Troy smiled at this. "Just go ahead and get set for another jump."

Gabriella turned her attention back to the screen and did so. She put the remote in her back pocket this time so she could just focus on her movements. She bent her knees and watched her character begin to ski down the ramp. She saw the red jump line approaching at the bottom. But, then she felt Troy's hands on her waist from behind. She sucked in a breath. "Okay...straighten your legs...now!" Troy encouraged, his hands tugging up at the moment he wanted her to extend her legs. Gabriella followed his instructions and his guiding hands and watched as her character soared off the ramp and landed upright below, earning, albeit, a low score for the jump but she had indeed had a jump and not a crash, which was pretty exciting.

"Oh my gosh! It worked! I jumped," she laughed happily, twisting around swiftly to grin at Troy. As she did so, her stockinged foot slipped a bit more than she'd intended and she lost her balance and tumbled forward toward Troy. Troy tightened his grip on her waist with the hands that still rested there. Gabriella instinctively put her hands out in front of her, which landed them against Troy's chest. It all happened so fast, but before they had time to think, Gabriella's body was pressed against Troy's, his hands on her waist, her hands on his upper chest, and their faces inches apart. And, for the first time that day, they were alone and didn't expect anyone else to be entering the room anytime soon. All thoughts of the game awaiting on the screen behind them disappeared. The air in the room became thick as they held each other's gaze. Feeling the same pull they'd felt the night before, Troy and Gabriella found the gap between their heads swiftly closing, their lips tingling with anticipation as they neared their destination. And then they were there once again, kissing one another, sweetly at first, in that same exploratory manner they had employed the night before, and eventually, more confidently, passionately. Troy's hands slid all the way around Gabriella's waist and held her to him tightly. Gabriella's hands inched their way up Troy's chest, slid over his shoulders, and came to rest behind his neck. As their tongues tangled pleasurably, they both felt swept up in each other, again marveling that this could possibly be their best friend they were kissing so thoroughly.

Pulling back, out of breath, minutes later, they once again continued holding onto each other as they had the last time. "Wow!" Gabriella breathed.

"Yeah," Troy agreed breathlessly, grinning widely. He searched her eyes and they seemed to be smiling back at him as her lips were now doing as well. Wanting to let her down from the balance board, he started to back up slightly.

Gabriella swiftly gripped his sweater, eyes widening. "Don't you dare run off again."

Troy's own eyes widened briefly and then he started to chuckle, realizing that she was referring to last night. Gripping her waist more firmly once more, he lifted her down from the balance board, surprise flashing through her eyes. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said huskily, leaning down and capturing her lips with his for another few minutes.

As he released her lips once again, Gabriella's lashes fluttered open, her vision hazy for several seconds.

"Troy, we...what...?" "Gabi, I..." Both spoke at the same time. Looking at each other sheepishly, Gabriella spoke again, "I'm sorry...you go."

Troy searched her eyes before beginning again. "Gabi, I was going to say that...well...I...pretty obviously...have been feeling some things toward you...some things that I don't think qualify as just friendly things."

"Me too," Gabriella put in softly, earning a pleased smile from Troy.

"Okay then...so, we should...explore these things further," Troy said, a slight hopeful question in his voice.

"Yes," Gabriella said breathily, her eyes lowering to his lips and then returning to the blue pools of his eyes.

Troy grinned, noticing her wandering eyes. "In that case, Gabi, will you go out with me tomorrow night?"

"A date?" she questioned, eyes sparkling.

Troy nodded. "A date," he confirmed.

"Will this be too weird?" she asked, biting her lip and studying his eyes.

A lopsided smile graced Troy's face and grew as he considered his answer. "We won't really know unless we try, will we?"

Another smile formed on Gabriella's face. "I guess not," she said softly. Her eyes flashed to his again and she began to incline her head such that she could lean up and kiss him again.

"Is that a yes, then?" Troy asked quietly when her lips were millimeters from his.

"Yes," Gabriella whispered before joining her lips to his, moaning softly seconds later when his tongue teased its way into her mouth.

Troy quickly found some of his fingers tangled in her hair and felt her own toying with the hairs at the nape of his neck. Troy felt momentarily bereft when she separated her mouth from his once again. Once he heard what she had to murmur, however, he felt pleasure once more.

"Troy...you have _really_ gotten good at this."

"Does that mean I get cake?" he asked in a low, humored tone.

"Gabi! Troy! Time for dessert!" yelled Maria from the top of the stairs at just that moment.

Troy and Gabriella tried to stifle their laughter. "Be right up, mom," Gabriella yelled back, hearing the door shut once again in response a few seconds later.

"No cake...but I believe there are some cookies with your name on them," Gabriella said with a grin, starting to turn toward the spot where she had deposited her boots earlier.

Troy pulled her back gently. "They'll wait a few more minutes," he said quietly, running his hand over her cheek and bringing his mouth down upon her willing one once more.

* * *

Author's Note: And then, sometimes mistletoe isn't really even needed. Nor is cake. ;-) Okay, this is the last age 16 chapter. Next chapter will involve a new year of their lives...appropriate given that we are basically at the turn of the year now...having said that, I wish you all a very Happy New Year! 'Til next time... Mel xoxo


	7. Tis the Season To Share

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Just...thank you! :-) And, I hope the year's off to a great start for everyone!

* * *

Chapter 7 - 'Tis the Season...To Share

_"Hang all the mistletoe_

_I'm gonna get to know you better...  
This christmas  
_

_Presents and cards are here  
My world is filled with cheer and you...  
This christmas  
And as I look around  
Your eyes outshine the town, they do_

_And this christmas, will be so special for you and me, yes it will be"_

_._

"Yeah, mom, our excursion leaves in half an hour. You guys have fun on yours! We'll see you later for dinner!" 17-year-old Troy assured cheerfully.

Lucille and Maria looked back and forth between their children skeptically. "Well, okay...we will. You two have fun too! Be good! See you later!" Lucille responded. Maria echoed her statements and Jack and Eduardo just waved and ushered their wives in the direction of the tender that was waiting to take them ashore so that they could begin their Grand Cayman excursion to Stingray City Sandbar, the Turtle Farm, and other island sites. The two families had decided to take a Christmas cruise this year since it was really the last year their kids would be living at home and they thought it might be nice to do something special and fun. The parents hadn't really anticipated that they might be leaving their two very seriously in love children (who were certainly no longer children) alone for five hours, on the second day of their cruise, with two very empty staterooms at their disposal. Of course, said children were supposed to be going off ship on their own beach excursion soon enough.

Troy and Gabriella smiled and waved as they watched their parents disappear down the corridor. Grinning at each other, they headed back toward the lobby, passing all the elaborately decorated Christmas trees displayed there, before reaching an elevator. They took it to an upper deck, where they moved to the railing and looked down to see their parents getting on their tender. They held hands and watched as the last passengers got onto the smaller boat and as it began to move away from the ship. They continued to watch until it was well on its way to the island's dock.

Once it was, they looked at each other excitedly and turned in unison to head back toward the elevators. Waiting for one to arrive, they squeezed each other's hand and tapped their toes nervously against the floor. Looking up when they heard the ding of an elevator arriving, they stepped inside the now open doors. They were the only occupants of this particular elevator car and, hoping to keep it that way, they quickly pushed the button for their floor and then the button to close the doors more immediately. As the doors slid shut, they turned to each other eagerly and Troy's free hand came to entwine itself in Gabriella's hair. Gabriella's free hand came up to grip at Troy's shirt and tug him toward her. Coming together in an impatient kiss, they vaguely felt the movement of the elevator downward through the ship. Troy's body moved forward, pressing Gabriella's into the wall. Lost in their kiss, they didn't notice when the elevator stopped at their floor. They only noticed once the doors opened and they heard an uncomfortable throat-clearing sound. Pulling themselves apart in a haze, they turned to see a father with his two little girls, apparently waiting for an elevator to take them up to one of the pools. Troy smiled sheepishly and Gabriella's cheeks turned crimson as she just tried to hide her head in Troy's arm as they hurried from the elevator down the corridor leading toward their rooms.

Arriving in front of them, Troy turned to Gabriella questioningly. "Um, your room or mine?"

Gabriella smirked. "Cheesy, Bolton."

Troy grinned. "Cheesy maybe, but still, which one?"

Gabriella looked thoughtful for a second. "Mine," she answered, turning to open the door to the room she had been sharing with her parents with the key she produced from her pocket.

Troy followed her into the room happily, he placed his hands on her waist and turned her so that she was facing him again before capturing her lips in another passionate kiss, pressing their bodies into yet another wall.

"Door," Gabriella gasped a minute later, her eyes flashing to the still slightly ajar room door. Troy turned to shut it fully, when Gabriella's voice stopped him. "Wait! Put the Do Not Disturb sign up," she urged him.

Nodding, Troy did so and then shut the door and turned the locks on it as well. "Good?"

"Good."

And with that, the two gravitated toward each other again. This time, however, they kissed while moving further into the room. Reaching Gabriella's bed, they sunk down onto it and continued their frantic kissing. Troy pulled back a minute later, looking down at his girlfriend, who was staring back up at him with the most alluring look. "You don't think your dad will be able to look over at your bed and just know, do you?"

* * *

"They are so not going on their excursion," Lucille stated, nervously biting her lip. They were still riding their tender to shore.

Maria nodded, sighing. "They have gotten way beyond cozy lately."

Jack and Eduardo just watched their wives as their brows scrunched up with a bit of worry and their feet twitched nervously.

"Yeah. Just the way they look at each other and Troy's gotten more confident. He seems to always want to be touching her in some way...holding her hand, resting his hand on her lower back or looping his arm around her shoulders or her waist, pulling her down to sit on his lap. I think...I mean, I'm sure he probably wants to do more...probably already has done plenty..." Lucille trailed off, staring out at the water and then back down at her hands.

"Do you _want_ me to kill your son when we get back to the ship?" Eduardo asked with a bit of exasperation, a half serious, half humored expression on his face.

"No," Lucille answered sheepishly.

"Well, then let's just enjoy our day. We've worked hard all year and we've earned this vacation and this day of fun in the sun."

"Eddy's right," Jack chimed in. "The kids are good. They're smart. They'll be okay."

"They will. We've raised them well," Maria agreed softly. Having had enough discussions with Gabriella regarding love, sex, and her future, she did feel confident that no decision would be made lightly.

"And, besides, denial is good for the soul," Eduardo said with a sardonic grin. "Let's just pretend they're still eight years old."

Chuckling, Jack concurred. Looking to their wives, the two husbands waited until they saw the small smiles gracing their faces, saw them look at each other and nod, and heard them both say "Agreed."

As their tender pulled up to the dock, they stood and waited to de-board with the other passengers, ready to enjoy the day and do their best to just be Maria, Eddy, Lucy, and Jack, not the parents to two hormonal and completely gaga for each other teenagers.

* * *

"Troy, no...and let's not talk about my father...or any other parental figures right now, please."

Troy's lopsided grin made an appearance as he considered what she'd said. "Good point."

Gabriella smiled up at him as he looked down at her with complete adoration before bringing his lips down once more to join them with her own. His kiss soon moved from her lips to her jaw to her neck, where he paid particular loving attention to the spots he knew evoked shivers of pleasure in her. Gabriella clutched at him, enjoying the sensations, before reaching her hands down to find the hem of his shirt and tug it upwards.

Troy allowed her to remove it and to take control with her own kisses, enjoying the sensations himself. He soon divested her of her shirt as well and, as hands roamed and mouths did too, they eventually found themselves lying there, unclothed, nerves tingling with pleasure and anticipation. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

A small smile lit her face in response as she searched his eyes. "Yeah...we've done all _this_ before, Troy."

"I know...just...are you sure? I mean, we can just do as we've been doing if..." He stopped as he saw her head moving back and forth confidently...pointedly.

"No, Troy. No more waiting. I want...all of you. I'm sure."

Her words stirred his blood, perhaps even more than any of the prior caresses and kisses had. He loved her. He wanted her...all of her, as she did him. If one thing was meant to be, this surely was. He cupped her cheek with his hand and covered her mouth with his, kissing her with all the passion he felt. She held nothing back in her kiss either and both found themselves moaning into the kiss, feeling the heat within them rise to an even higher level.

Troy had already retrieved a condom from his jeans pocket earlier and set it out on the nightstand. Now, pulling back, he reached for it and rolled it on. Lowering himself to her once more, Troy held Gabriella's eyes as he entered her. He saw her wince a moment later and paused as she took a few breaths before nodding for him to continue. Once they were fully joined, he paused again to allow her to adjust to him, taking the time to revel in the sensations himself. He moved his lips over her cheek and neck and shoulders, loving her so much in this moment where she was so fully giving of herself to him.

Gabriella felt the pain she knew she would, but she also did not deny that there was an innate pleasure in being this close to Troy. She knew he felt it too. She also knew he was fighting himself to maintain control for her benefit. He had always taken care of her and would be the last to hurt her. That is what, in part, had made her feel safe in her decision to try dating him and to explore what more could be between them. Now, a year later, she had absolutely no regrets about that decision. Troy was still her best friend, but now he truly held her heart. And she held his, and she wanted to give him every pleasure, every joy she could. Taking careful breaths, she did her best to relax. She ran her fingers through his hair and brought his head back up to her so that she could kiss him and communicate in that way that she was alright, that she loved him, that she trusted him. And then, tentatively, she moved against him, silently wincing once more but sending him the message that he didn't need to wait anymore.

Troy took heed of her message and began to slowly allow himself to move, to embrace the new sensations and let his body lead him. Alternately kissing her, resting his head in the crook of her neck and just breathing in her scent, and grunting into her skin as he experienced the pure pleasure of being with her, Troy was more himself than he had ever been...and he was more hers than he had ever been before.

As the rhythm of their lovemaking continued, Gabriella's pain eventually turned to discomfort and then finally something she could describe as good. And, as she could feel and hear and see Troy's pleasure escalating, she felt powerful and heady and like his pleasure was spurring on her own. Gripping him more tightly, she brought her lips to his neck and shoulders and then leaned up and kissed his lips, all the while feeling the heat and sensation build within her.

When Gabriella began to hold more tightly to him and to more actively kiss and caress him, Troy knew something was changing. When he heard the soft moans escape her, the relief he felt was palpable, and his body seemed to respond even further. And, when he heard his name uttered on her lips, he felt as though he owned the world.

Holding each other's gaze, they saw every emotion that crossed the other's face. They felt the intensity of these precious moments. This was how they were meant to be, how they'd always been meant to be. They both felt their pleasure heighten to a place neither had experienced before and they clung to each other helplessly as it did, lost in it and in each other.

Still breathing shakily minutes later, they separated and Troy discreetly disposed of the condom in the bathroom trash receptacle before returning to lie down by Gabriella's side. She turned to face him and curled up into him, his arms naturally wrapping around her, his hands gently stroking her back.

"Gabi...I'm sorry I hurt you," Troy said quietly.

Gabriella propped herself up so that she could look at him reassuringly. "I'm okay, Troy. It didn't all hurt. It...well...I'm glad...that we did it, I mean."

"Me too," Troy said, with a small smile. "I just hate that it hurt you."

"Yes," Gabriella said slowly, thoughtfully, "but then...well, then it felt...it was...you felt..."

"Good?" Troy supplied for her, a hopeful and curious expression on his face.

"Yes," she breathed, looking at him sincerely. "Did I...I mean, was I...?"

"You felt amazing," Troy answered in a husky tone, his arms tightening a bit more around her. "Really, Gabi, I've never felt that way before. And, I'm glad...I'm so glad it was with you."

Gabriella felt the wetness behind her eyes and blinked happily. "I am too, Troy. I can't imagine this with anyone else."

"Well, good...don't start trying to," Troy said playfully.

"Not a chance," she said huskily, leaning down and placing a short kiss on his lips.

Troy looked up into her eyes and saw all that he could ever want. "I love you, Gabi," he said, his voice rough with emotion.

"I love you too, Troy...always," Gabriella responded, running her fingers through his hair and gazing at him with such adoration and pride and sincerity that Troy felt his heart swell even further with his love for her. Their lips came together once more in a long, slow, loving kiss, a kiss to seal the love they'd spoken and expressed there that day, a kiss to seal this precious memory for both of them for the rest of their lives.

* * *

Some time later, they roused from the pleasant sleep they had fallen into. Troy pressed his lips softly against Gabriella's forehead. "We should probably get ready and head in to the beach to at least have some truth to our excursion," he said softly.

Gabriella sighed. "I know. It was a good idea to say the beach bum one. We don't really have to have learned anything in particular then and we can go snap a couple pictures on the beach and we're golden," she finished with a smile.

"Yep, I thought it was rather brilliant," Troy said, grinning.

"I guess you can be brilliant if you're motivated, huh, Bolton?" Gabriella teased.

"And you weren't motivated, Montez?" he said, pulling her flush against him meaningfully.

"Still am," she said, a bit breathlessly.

Troy searched her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Just that...we still have hours left to head in to the beach, snap a few pictures, and then get back here and get ready for dinner before our parents are back."

"True..."

"And tomorrow's a day at sea, so we'll likely have to behave ourselves then." Troy groaned a bit at this, causing the corners of Gabriella's lips to twitch. "So..."

"So..."

"We should take full advantage of the time we have today."

"Are you sure, Gabi? I mean, do you need time to heal?"

"I suspect you have healing powers," she responded playfully, tilting her head and brushing her lips against his tantalizingly.

Troy's breath hitched. "I'm serious," he said, the concern in his voice evident.

"So am I," Gabriella said, looking into his eyes until he could see it was so. "Make love to me again, Troy."

As had nearly always been the case, Troy could not refuse her. Nor, did he want to. So, he captured her mouth with his and held her body close and proceeded to make very good use of the remainder of the time spent within that lovely little room.

* * *

And their parents found them later outside the dining room, dressed in their dinner finery, looking sun-kissed and glowing, and happily chattering on about how beautiful 7-Mile Beach was and how crystal clear the light blue water was...and they chose to listen intently, looking at the digital photos Troy and Gabriella had taken of themselves on the beach with interest. They then all moved on into the dining room, passing the ship's cheerful carolers while making their way to their table, where Jack, Lucy, Eduardo, and Maria took turns sharing all about their own adventures with the stingrays and the turtles. They all knew this cruise and this Christmas would be special and memorable for each of them for different reasons and they chose to be okay with that. They were all together for this blessed holiday, as they had been every year and hoped to be for years to come, and that was the most important thing.

* * *

Author's Note: So, if you've read some of my other stuff, you may believe me when I say that keeping this from going full-on "M" was quite challenging for me. ;-) But, that was kind of my purpose...I really want to keep this story more sweet and innocent. I suspect, however, I'll be saving up some "non-innocent" for some other upcoming stories. LOL! I wasn't sure if I was going to do this chapter but Troy and Gabriella sort of told me it was necessary...heh heh...anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Up next: What happens once they go off to college? Hmm...


	8. Tis the Season To Come Home

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Hi all! I'm sorry this chapter has taken me so long. I have been sick and pretty unable to focus on writing. This chapter was perhaps going to be longer, but I wanted to get you another installment sooner versus later, and I think the ending works as a chapter break. Well, I hope this story can still be embraced even as we (in real life) move further away from Christmas/New Year's. I'm personally a fan of the holiday season all-year-round. :-) Okay, anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks so much for reading and reviewing and hanging in there between updates! Mwah!

* * *

Chapter 8 - 'Tis the Season...To Come Home

_"I'll be home for Christmas  
You can count on me  
Please have snow and mistletoe__  
And presents under the tree_

_Christmas Eve will find me  
Where the love light gleams  
I'll be home for Christmas  
If only in my dreams"_

_._

"So, you ready for tonight, man?" Chad asked his distracted friend, as they roamed through Best Buy, randomly picking up video games and DVDs. They were out doing some last-minute shopping, something even Taylor and the other girls thought was crazy, but they were guys and they had procrastinated, so here they found themselves on Christmas Eve trying to make sure they had gifts for everyone on their list.

"Um, yeah...sure, man," 20-year-old Troy Bolton answered evasively.

"Oh, so you're ready to see Gabs again for the first time in nearly four months, throw her over your shoulder like some pansy romance novel type, carry her off to some secret location, and hold her captive until she promises to never leave your sorry ass again?"

"Have you been reading Taylor's romance novels again?"

Chad just shook his head, not taking the bait. "Look, dumbass, don't answer me if you don't want to, but you should at least be thinking about what your plan is here. I'm tired of seeing you moping about. Next thing, you'll be going to see sobfest movies with the girls and eating tubs of ice cream and getting fat."

Troy rolled his eyes in irritation, blowing some hair out of his face and moving toward the next aisle, scanning additional titles.

Chad followed him, his own irritation growing. "Do you at least have a gift for her?"

"Yes," Troy answered shortly.

"If you tell me it's a mix cd..."

"Chad...piss off!"

And, with that, Troy stomped off to the registers to pay for the items he had chosen. Chad grinned to himself, knowing that he had gotten his friend to think further about the evening and days ahead. Now, he and everyone else would just have to sit back and see how it all played out and hope that their two friends didn't fail to see what life still offered them.

* * *

"Oh, Ella, it's so good to see you again!" Maria squealed as she pulled her daughter to her again and squeezed her in another hug.

"Stop hogging her, Ria," Eduardo admonished playfully, waiting until his wife pulled back to step forward and finally get to hug his only child. "We missed you, Ella."

"Missed you too, daddy, and mom...missed everyone," Gabriella said, holding her father to her tightly before letting him go. Happy tears filled her eyes as she looked back and forth at her parents, whom she had indeed been longing to see these past several months. When she had been offered the semester abroad opportunity, the biggest thing keeping her from accepting it right away had been the people she loved and wasn't sure if she could be away from for that period of time. But they had all told her to go, told her she couldn't pass up the amazing opportunity. And, it had been a great experience, studying under the tutelage of eminent Hungarian mathematics scholar-teachers in Budapest with a group of other students every bit as interested and as skilled in math as she was. She just wondered what it may have cost her.

She had been happy in her studies, happy with the new friends she'd made, happy in the experience of independently living in a wonderful new culture...but she had missed him...so much at times she thought she would go crazy counting down the days until she could see him again. But she didn't know if he wanted to see her as much as she did him. She didn't know to what extent his life had changed, had moved on without her...and she knew that in whatever ways it had, she would have to accept it. She had chosen to go, but more than that, she had chosen not to hold onto him.

"Are you hungry, sweetie?" Maria's voice broke into her thoughts.

Smiling, she pulled back from the hug with her father and faced her mother as she answered. "Starving! And, a big, juicy all-American burger would be great!"

Chuckling, Eduardo pulled her into his side. "That's my girl. Come on. We'll get out of here and find you one delicious burger." Having said this, he released her and took hold of her bags, watching as the two women in his life led the way out of the airport and into the parking garage.

Settling on a Red Robin restaurant on the way home, Gabriella savored every bite of her burger. She had eaten well in Budapest but she hadn't found herself anything near a good burger. Eduardo and Maria watched her with amusement.

"It's good to see you have some energy after that long flight," Maria remarked.

"Oh, yeah. I actually slept a good bit on the flight, so I'm okay right now."

"Well, let us know if that changes. We do have plans to go to the Christmas Eve service with the Boltons tonight as usual, but if you're too tired to go, that's fine," Eduardo added.

Gabriella slowly swallowed the bite of burger she had just taken. Her stomach did a few flips. "Oh...okay...I should be fine," she said, taking a sip of her soda.

Maria and Eduardo exchanged a glance. "I think he's excited to see you, Ella," Maria said softly.

Gabriella's eyes shot up and met with her mother's. "Oh, um, it'll be nice to see everyone again. It's been so long."

"It has been a long time, it's true...but when people really care about each other, no amount of time is too long," Maria responded carefully.

Gabriella studied her mother's face for several seconds, reading the message there before turning back to her food and her own thoughts.

* * *

Troy sat on his bed, turning the small package over and over in his hands. He wouldn't give it to her until tomorrow, of course, but holding it just made him feel that much closer to seeing her, to giving it to her. He knew she should be getting there soon. They would leave for the Christmas Eve service in about 45 minutes. His eyes kept shifting to his watch. He was listening for the sound of a car pulling into the driveway next door and car doors slamming. The minutes ticked by but still nothing. Standing up, he moved forward and placed her gift on top of his dresser. He decided to go downstairs and grab a drink. He entered the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. As he stood there drinking it, he heard the sound of tires crunching over hard-packed snow. Hastily setting his glass down, he moved toward the front sitting area and pushed the curtain aside, peering out the window and seeing Eduardo and Maria exiting their car.

"Is Gabriella here, dear?" Lucille called from the living room.

"Um, I don't know, mom. I think so."

Waiting, he saw Maria and Eduardo standing outside the back passenger side door discussing something. He waited for her to emerge from the vehicle but she didn't. Curiosity and a deep-seated fear in the pit of his stomach getting the best of him, Troy moved into the front hall, opened the door and stepped out onto the front porch steps.

Hearing their neighbors' door open, Maria and Eduardo glanced up. Seeing Troy, they smiled. "Hey, Troy."

"Hey, Eddy...Maria. Did something happen to delay Gabi's arrival?"

The two parents looked up at him confused for a moment before realization struck them. "Oh, no, dear. It's just that she's fallen asleep in the back seat and we were trying to decide whether or not to wake her," Maria explained.

"It's been a long day of travel for her. I think she could do with a good, long night's sleep more so than the service this year," Eduardo said thoughtfully. "If we wake her up though, she'll argue she's fine."

Troy smiled, knowing it was probably true.

"I could try to carry her up to her room," Eduardo continued.

"But, dear...your back. I don't want you throwing it out again," Maria said, concern lacing her voice.

Troy surveyed the situation, his eyes falling to the car window, trying to see her through it unsuccessfully. Taking a breath, he descended the steps and moved toward the couple. "I could do it."

"What, Troy?" Maria asked.

"I said I could do it...carry her in for you, that is. She's light as anything still I'm sure and certainly less than what I'm lifting at the gym these days," he said with a hesitant grin.

Eduardo looked like he might protest, mainly for his sense of manhood, but Maria put her hand to his arm, silencing any bubbling arguments. "That'd be great of you, Troy," she said, moving to open the back door as quietly as possible.

Troy followed her and peered in, now seeing her lovely form curled up a bit, legs pulled up onto the seat somewhat, head resting against the back of the seat. She was sitting sideways with her head facing the driver's side of the car. He could see that her eyes were closed peacefully and her breathing was soft but steady. She looked beautiful. She looked like Gabi. Some part of him had wondered if she would return with some sophisticated new European look, but she still had the same look of the Gabi he'd said goodbye to nearly four months ago. Realizing he was just standing and staring, Troy pushed himself forward and leaned down carefully, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. Maria moved to open the front door and he followed her into the house, hearing Eduardo shut the car door once they'd gone inside.

"Just place her in her room if you don't mind, Troy," Maria whispered.

Troy nodded and moved toward the stairs, ascending them carefully. Reaching the top, he turned toward her room and walked into it, glad that the door had been left open for her return. He placed her down gently onto the bed, gently removing her slip-on shoes and doing his best to pull the covers down from beneath her so that he could then pull them over top of her. Having done so, he just took a moment to stare down at her. She smiled in her sleep and his heartbeat picked up for a second. He could hardly believe she was actually there, back in his life again after these long months. Part of him felt disappointed that she wasn't awake and wouldn't be going to the service with them, but another part realized they wouldn't really be able to talk much if they had gone to the service together and that it might be best for them to really spend time with each other again tomorrow after she felt more well rested. And, he was glad to have gotten these few stolen moments with her, moments to just enjoy that she was back...back in his arms, even if only for a few minutes and unbeknownst to her. He would take it; it would do for now. Taking one last lingering look, Troy couldn't resist leaning down and brushing his lips lightly against her forehead. "Good night, Gabi...welcome home," he spoke in a husky whisper, before turning and walking out of the room, quietly pulling the door shut behind him, and not hearing the soft sigh emitted from the young woman on the bed.

* * *

Gabriella awoke slowly, hearing the sounds of activity occurring on the first floor. Gabriella smiled to herself. She knew she was in her bed at home. It had always been more comfortable than any of her other temporary residence's beds. She continued to take several unhurried breaths, her mind's awareness increasing at a pleasant pace. She realized she had had some pleasant dreams...dreams of him...dreams in which she'd felt as though she could smell his distinct male scent and feel the heat and hardness of his body as he'd held her in his arms. The part of the dreams she'd enjoyed the most, however, was the part where she had felt as though his lips had pressed briefly to her forehead and where she had heard his husky voice say her name.

Opening her eyes and sighing, Gabriella allowed her vision to adjust to the light seeping in from behind the curtains on her balcony door. She turned lazily to glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand, seeing that it was 9:30am. Pulling herself from beneath the covers, she noticed she was still wearing what she'd been wearing yesterday. That puzzled her for a moment before it occurred to her that the last thing she remembered was closing her eyes for a few moments of rest on the drive from the Red Robin the rest of the way home. She realized she did not in fact remember getting home or going to the Christmas Eve service. Putting two and two together, she determined that she must have fallen asleep in the car and her parents had somehow gotten her up here and into bed. She frowned a bit, realizing she had messed up her parents' plans for the service and that she had missed the first chance at seeing Troy that she had been looking forward to with nervous anticipation.

Looking around, she saw that her suitcases had been placed in her room. Digging within one of them, she produced her robe. She stripped off her clothes and put it on, opening her bedroom door and moving down the hall toward the bathroom. She returned to her room 20 minutes later, refreshed from her shower. She grabbed some pajamas and pulled them on to go downstairs and grab some breakfast and exchange presents with her parents. Remembering the things she had bought them in Budapest before she'd left, she retrieved the bag of gifts from her suitcase before exiting the room.

Two hours later, she was back in her room, sifting through her suitcases and closet trying to decide what to wear. She had already applied her makeup and tamed her hair and was now just trying to decide on her attire for the day. Finally settling on a soft lavender sweater and well-fitted jeans, she pulled these on and then proceeded to sift through her jewelry. She paused, looking at the small amethyst teardrop earrings he had gotten her last year for Christmas. He knew how she loved all things purple and had always told her how beautiful she looked in the color...of course, he'd said she looked beautiful in (or out of) any color. Gabriella smiled at this, biting her lip briefly before attaching the earrings to her ears, complementing her outfit perfectly.

Putting her watch on next, she looked at the time and saw that it was 12:15pm. The Boltons would be here soon. He would be here. She reached into her jewelry box and picked out a new silver ring she had bought herself in Europe, sliding it onto her right middle finger. She paused to rifle through her suitcase once more, producing the gifts she had bought for Lucy, Jack, and Troy. Sitting down on the bed with them, she allowed herself to think back on what her parents had told her at breakfast. They had thrown her dream theory out the window, letting her know that Troy had actually carried her up to her room last night. She didn't know how to feel about this. She felt a bit embarrassed, but also a bit pleased. So, she hadn't merely imagined his scent and his arms...and she suspected then that she hadn't imagined his light kiss to her forehead either. Maybe...maybe things hadn't changed so much between them. Maybe...

Gabriella stopped herself right there. She had no right to expect anything in particular. She just needed to go downstairs and spend a happy Christmas with the people she cared most about, as she had done every year of her life. And then...then, she would see.

* * *

Troy carried his bag of presents across the driveway and up the steps, trailing his parents. He'd spent the last 14 hours since he'd held her sleeping form trying to figure out exactly how he was supposed to act today. He thought back to the discussion they had had at the end of summer, as they'd sat in her room after finishing up the bulk of her packing. Gabriella had been thinking back on that same day pretty much since she'd left...

.

_"Four months," she said tentatively._

_"Four months," Troy repeated._

_Feeling she needed to say more, to save herself, to save him, to save the goodness their relationship currently had instead of allowing it the possibility of deteriorating, Gabriella spoke again softly. "I won't expect...I mean, this is a long time...you should be free to do as you like..."_

_"Gabi," Troy began, pausing as he saw her bite her lip and look away. Studying her, it occurred to him that what she was saying might be more about what she wanted from her time away. Maybe she didn't want to be tied down. After all, she was going to be living a dream halfway around the world. What part could he really play in the next four months other than to hold her back, keep her tied to her life in the U.S.? He wouldn't want to do that, to make anything difficult for her. So, instead of telling her that what he wanted to be free to do was to miss her and talk to her and email her at every opportunity he got, to count the days until they were back together again, all the while being happy for her for this amazing opportunity that he knew she deserved and would thrive at, he said what he thought would ease her mind and ensure that she made the most of her overseas experience. "If that's what you think...I mean...well, the same should go for you then..."_

_Gabriella swallowed the lump in her throat, blinking back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. She must have made the right decision; he had agreed with her. So, why did she wish he hadn't? Turning back to him, trying to appear calm and sure, she nodded. "Okay, then. And, when I'm back...well, we'll see what we...what feels right then."_

_Troy's eyes met hers, his love for her shining in them and he forced a small smile onto his face as he nodded his agreement. His mind and his heart were screaming at him to tell her this was not necessary, that they could just maintain their relationship from a distance for four months, but some doubt had crept up within him and he wasn't so sure. He wasn't so sure that she wouldn't realize that he was so below her in intellect, intelligence, and worldliness once she had met others who shared her skills and her passion. He wasn't so sure that she might not think that she had just stayed with him out of comfort and familiarity these few years since they'd become a couple. He was sure he wanted her to be happy. So, he would do that which lent to her happiness...even let her go._

_._

Troy took a deep breath as he saw his mother ring the doorbell. He hadn't seen Gabriella since she had left for the airport. They had hugged and kissed goodbye, tears in their eyes, trying to both appear strong and confident. He had told her to have the time of her life and she had thanked him and told him to have a great semester too and that she'd see him at Christmas. She had sent several group emails when she had had the chance. She had even sent a few emails just to him in the beginning, mainly stating that she hoped things were going well for him and that she had meant it and she really didn't expect him to wait for her and feel tied to her...that if things were meant to be, they would be. The message seemed clear, and Troy didn't really have much to respond with so their one-on-one emails eventually stopped. It was easier that way than to have constant reminders that the other could be moving along in a whole new direction and possibly with whole new people. So, other than the group email information he had read, he and Gabriella hadn't really communicated for months. But, had he felt free? No. He did go on a couple of dates to appease friends who had urged him in that direction, but those girls became nothing more than friends. Troy wasn't free because his heart wasn't free. It had always been Gabi's and he suspected it always would be. He just didn't know if he still held hers.

As the door opened, Troy smiled and followed his parents into the house, exchanging Christmas greetings with Eduardo, and Maria, who had run into the foyer for a few moments to say her greetings, before turning to scan the stairs and surrounding doorways. As he did so, he thought his heart might have joined a drumline as his gaze landed on a pair of chocolate brown orbs, looking back at him shyly from the doorway into the living room.

"Gabi!" He heard his mother exclaim, next seeing the older woman cross his vision and embrace the younger woman in an exuberant hug.

"Hi Lucy! Merry Christmas! It's great to see you again!"

Lucille pulled back, keeping her hands on Gabriella's arms. "Well, just look at you. You've gone and grown into an even more beautiful, intelligent young woman, haven't you?"

Gabriella blushed, shaking her head lightly at the compliment. "I'm just me, Lucy, maybe a bit dorkier, but me."

Lucille clucked at this. "Eddy, tell your daughter to stop being so modest."

"I've tried, Lucy...just chalk it up to the list of her great qualities."

"My, my...should I go away more often?" Gabriella joked, a bit tentatively, her eyes flicking briefly to Troy.

"No," Jack responded, moving forward himself. "Your parents will drive us crazy if you do," he joked, smirking in Eduardo's direction.

Eduardo just narrowed his eyes at his friend's ribbing.

"Gabi, it really is great to see you," Jack said, stepping forward to give her a one-armed hug.

"Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga..." chanted a tiny voice at that moment.

"And, how are you doing Miss Olivia?" Gabriella said in a sweet voice, leaning in to smile at the newest addition to the Bolton family, born seven months ago, who was occupying her father's left side. "My, how you've grown."

"Oh, don't remind me, Gabi," Lucille said with a laugh. "I had forgotten how fast it all happens."

Troy smiled at his family. He hadn't exactly expected to become a big brother whilst in college, but he didn't regret it one bit. Livvy, as he called her, had brought him much joy since her birth. He looked forward to looking out for her as she grew. Watching his parents, he also knew how very much they were enjoying experiencing another child and he was happy for them.

Gabriella glanced over and saw Troy's smile as he looked on at his family. It was great to see him smile. Heart-stopping, but great. He looked handsome as ever, surely a sight for eyes that had been missing him.

Looking away from his family, Troy caught Gabriella watching him. Figuring it was his turn, he moved toward her slowly.

Seeing him approach, Gabriella took a slight breath and tentatively held her arms open to him.

Returning her uncertain smile, Troy moved into them, wrapping his own around her small frame. "Welcome home, Gabi," he said softly.

Something triggered within Gabriella's brain. He had already said those words to her...last night. That's what his husky voice had said. "Thank you, Troy. It's good to be home."

Pulling apart, they both sent small, but warm, smiles in each other's direction. "I think I owe you another thank you, as well," Gabriella continued.

Troy raised his eyebrows slightly at this.

"For carrying me in last night..." Troy smiled and nodded his understanding. "I'm sorry about falling asleep and not getting to see you all last night." With this, Gabriella let her eyes drift back to Lucille and Jack as well.

"Nonsense, dear," Lucille said reassuringly. "I'm sure you needed your rest. Troy said you seemed quite knocked out."

Gabriella felt a bit of crimson creep onto her cheeks again and looked down at the floor for a moment. Looking back up at Troy, she saw him studying her with a grin. "I'm sorry. I'm sure I was dead weight. I hope I wasn't snoring loudly or anything..."

"Well, you did drool on my shirt a little..."

Gabriella's eyes widened at this.

"Kidding, Gabi," Troy said with a smirk, seeing her face relax and her lips twitch.

"Well, anyway, it was really nice of you to see that I got to sleep in my bed. I had missed it I guess...I slept really well."

"I'm glad...and it was no trouble...really," Troy said sincerely.

Lucy, Jack, and Eduardo exchanged glances and smiles. Just then, they heard the sound of a dish breaking in the kitchen and Maria's expletive that followed. Gabriella winced a bit and grinned wryly. "I guess I'd better go help my mom out. Sounds like things aren't going her way just now."

Lucy gave her a soft smile. "I'll go with you, dear."

Gabriella nodded and with that, the two women made their way to the kitchen, leaving the men behind to talk...or in Troy's case, to distractedly stare after the dark locks of the woman he loved, wondering if she still returned that love.

* * *

Author's Note: So, yes, age 20 will require more than one chapter as well. Hope you don't mind. Or we could leave them like this... ;-) Nah, I'm not that evil. Oh, random note: I did not just make up the whole Budapest thing...there are actually Budapest Semesters in Mathematics. If you're rather a math genius (which I'm not) they sound pretty cool. :-) Oh, I know there are things you don't know about where they go to college and what that transition was like for them in the first place, etc. You'll get a glimpse of that background info in the next chapter. But, obviously (or I hope it's obvious), they were fine until she left the country during this year. The trauma of deciding whether to separate and go to different colleges and whether or not doing so ultimately means the relationship has to end is dealt with a lot in ff (and in the third movie), and rightfully so. But, I just wanted to explore a different potential obstacle/time period. Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter. 'Til next time...


	9. Tis the Season To Accept Gifts

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: So, we will soon be approaching another Christmas/holiday season... :-) I know...I suck. Life is...well, different than it's ever been. I am nine months pregnant. Plenty of women have first trimester only sickness. Some have no sickness. I am neither of these types of women. The little man has thrown my body into such a topsy turvy this whole time...but I love him nonetheless. :-) But, anyway, between sickness, fatigue, organizing a nursery, planning maternity leave, doctor's appointments, and all the other good stuff, my mind and time have been turned a bit away from fan fiction. But I do love writing these stories and I love all of you for reading them. So, I wanted to continue this story at least in some small way. It was never my intention to leave you hanging for so long after the last chapter. I'm not intentionally evil. ;-) All that said, hope you enjoy the chapter that follows...

* * *

Chapter 9 - 'Tis the Season...To Accept Gifts 

_"_Where are you Christmas  
Do you remember  
The one you used to know  
I'm not the same one  
See what the time's done  
Is that why you have let me go

Christmas is here everywhere, oh  
Christmas is here if you care, oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind  
You will feel like Christmas all the time

I feel you Christmas  
I know I've found you  
You never fade away  
The joy of Christmas  
Stays here in silence  
Fills each and every heart with love_"_

_._

Troy sat mechanically placing forkfuls of food into his mouth and nodding and smiling at appropriate times, all the while keeping his eyes trained on her...except for the periodic glances at others that he remembered were expected of him.

Gabriella was not oblivious to this, though she tried her best to continue to respond to the questions she was receiving regarding Budapest and her studies and her new friends there. Troy didn't ask any; he just sat listening quietly, eating and seeming to study her face.

As the meal wrapped up, everyone stood up and began to clear away the dishes from the table, carrying them into the kitchen. Maria instructed everyone to pile them next to the sink.

"I'll help you with the clean-up, mom," Gabriella assured.

Troy's ears perked up at this. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, Maria, I can help too," he said as confidently as possible.

Gabriella sucked in a light breath but didn't turn around as she moved toward the sink.

"You know, Maria, neither of them had to cook or prepare for today or anything. You should leave the cleaning to them and join us in the living room and just relax a bit," Lucille said with a sly grin.

Maria shrugged and smiled, handing the scrubbing pad she'd been holding to her daughter and following the others into the living room.

Troy and Gabriella stared after them for a few seconds before looking at each other briefly with humored smiles.

"Well, I didn't really expect for that to happen," Gabriella remarked with a light laugh.

"Didn't you?" Troy asked, cocking one eyebrow and grinning.

Gabriella grinned back, acknowledging to herself that she was not in fact surprised by the turn of events. She suspected that their parents figured the two of them could use some time alone to talk and had seen this as an opportune time.

Troy had surmised the same but chose not to bring that further to light. Instead he said jokingly, "I knew they were looking forward to having us home for some reason. I guess whether you're 10 or 20, if your parents assign you a chore, you know there's not much argument to be had."

"Particularly not if you don't want them to withhold your dessert," Gabriella responded with a smirk, enjoying Troy's sheepish smile in response.

"You do know me," he said wistfully.

Gabriella blinked, considering the statement and the tone with which it'd been spoken. With a small nod, she turned her attention back to the sink and turned on the faucet. "I'll pre-rinse the dishes if you want to load them into the dishwasher."

"Deal," Troy said, turning his body too so that he was standing next to her facing the sink. He reached to his right and opened the dishwasher, which had luckily been emptied prior to their meal today.

Gabriella began running the dishes under the water and Troy watched her, trying to figure out what to say next. "So, um, how was your flight? I never really got to ask you that."

A small, sheepish smile shown on Gabriella's face. "Uh, yeah...again, sorry about the whole falling asleep thing."

Troy just shook his head quickly dismissing the additional apology.

"The flight was fine. I did actually sleep some on it, so I really didn't expect to konk out early like I did. Guess I needed it."

"Partying hard in Budapest, Montez?" Troy teased, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Final exams, packing, and last-minute souvenir shopping...I was a regular party animal."

"But I'm sure you and your friends over there probably had a last hurrah."

"We had a very nice goodbye dinner the night before last."

"Well, that's good. I'm sure it was kind of tough to say goodbye."

Gabriella thought on this for a moment. "It was...a mix...a mix of feelings, I mean. Yes, I'll miss Sarah, Paul, Chelsea, Alec, and Lucy. They were great fun and we got to experience some great things together..."

Troy watched her smile fondly at some memories that seemed to be crossing her mind. He loved her smile but at the same time wondered with a pang if that smile was in any way related to the Paul or Alec she had mentioned.

"But," Gabriella resumed her explanation, "I missed home." With this, her eyes rose to meet his. "I was ready to come back to it."

Troy held her gaze, reading the sincerity there and wondering if he also read something more.

Gabriella let herself get lost in those beautiful blue pools a few seconds longer than she had intended. Did he know that when she said "home" she meant him?

The moment was broken as they heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. "Yes, dear. I've got it. Be right back," they heard Jack call to his wife a second before seeing him appear in the doorway. "Hey! How's it going in here?" he said cheerfully, moving toward the refrigerator.

Gabriella looked down at the plate currently in her hand and swiftly handed it over to Troy. Troy took the plate and turned to his right, lining it up in the dishwasher with the others he had been placing there. "Pretty good, dad," he answered, turning to receive the next dish from Gabriella.

"Well, good...sorry to sucker you guys into this...well, okay, not sorry at all," Jack finished with a chuckle.

Gabriella and Troy shot him mock glares over their shoulders. He paid no attention as he moved toward the counter and placed the bottle he had retrieved from the refrigerator into the bottle warmer Lucille had set up here earlier. "Guess Livvy's hungry," Troy said with a smile.

"Always," Jack put in, rolling his eyes for effect.

Gabriella let out a soft laugh. "Takes after her big brother then."

Troy's head turned back to see her humored expression. He was more than happy to stand there and be teased by her. It felt good...normal.

"That she does," Jack agreed, laughing along with her.

"She could do a lot worse than to take after me," Troy defended good-humoredly.

Gabriella just giggled a bit more, handing yet another dish over to Troy but keeping her face focused on the running water.

Jack watched the two. It was good to see them interacting like this, teasing and laughing. He didn't mind warming his daughter's bottle and bearing witness to this. No, he didn't mind at all.

* * *

After Jack had left the kitchen with Olivia's bottle, Troy and Gabriella had swiftly finished with the kitchen clean-up and gone to join their families in the living room. Presents had been exchanged, leaving Olivia giggling over a new talking stuffed bunny, Lucille and Maria discussing the recipes in which they'd be using their new paprika, and Jack and Eduardo discussing braving the cold to grill up the sausage that Gabriella had brought for them. Troy and Gabriella had yet to exchange gifts and were now somewhat shyly pushing presents in each other's direction.

"You go..."

"You go..."

Both stopped as they realized they'd spoken at the same time, smiling sheepishly at one another. Gabriella paused, holding Troy's gaze, and then began again. "No...really...you can go first."

The corners of Troy's lips lifted just a bit higher. "If you insist." He picked up his present and shook it playfully. "Do I get sausage too? I wouldn't know what to do with paprika."

Gabriella laughed and shook her head at him. "Nooo...but I didn't forget your stomach either."

Troy chuckled, pulling back the paper to reveal a box of Hungarian chocolates. "Ah...my stomach thanks you." His eyes lit up further as he lifted the chocolates and found a book on Hungarian architecture underneath. "Wow, Gabi! This is awesome," he exclaimed, flipping through the book eagerly.

"I'm glad you like it. I thought of you whenever I was seeing all of those amazing buildings. One day, someone's going to be flipping through some book looking at the amazing structures you've designed."

Troy felt the warmth rise up within him, that feeling only she could give him with her support and confidence in him. "I don't know about that," he said modestly, "but these are definitely inspiring. Maybe I'll have to consider a focus on European architecture for my thesis."

Gabriella smiled radiantly, glad her gift had brought about the desired reaction. "Maybe," she said simply, watching the interest dance around in his eyes as he studied the photos and information within the book.

After another moment or so, Troy looked up with another smile and carefully shut the book. "Your turn," he said, glancing down at the present sitting in front of Gabriella.

Gabriella moved her hands forward to gently pick up the package in front of her. She really had no idea what to expect this year. Pulling the shiny paper aside revealed two things, a smaller box and what looked to her to be a "not to scale" version of a Rubik's cube. She examined the cube first, trying to determine what exactly made it different than a normal Rubik's cube.

Seeing her thoughtful look, Troy began to explain. "Well, the Rubik's cube, as you know, I'm sure, was invented by a man in Budapest. And, it's all kinds of mathematical...you know, with solving it and all."

Gabriella's lips twitched at Troy's simplified description. She didn't mind; she loved that he'd taken the time to learn this. She nodded her head in encouragement as he continued.

"Well, anyway, it's not really for solving. This one's a little bigger than a regular one. It's because it's actually a digital picture frame."

"Really?" Gabriella asked, turning the cube over in her hands again.

Troy smiled. "Yeah...here, let me show you," he said, reaching out his hand.

Gabriella gently handed the cube over and watched and listened intently as Troy showed her where the memory card with the desired photos could be inserted and pointed out that the pictures would flash onto each side of the cube for so many seconds before changing to show others.

"I just figured that you would want to remember all of your good times and your new friends from Budapest and I found this and thought it really kind of made sense in terms of a way to do it...just tying in the math, Hungary, and your memories into one thing," Troy finished, shrugging and smiling tentatively, hoping that Gabriella liked the gift. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Gabriella was touched. She now understood the thoughtfulness behind this gift. After a moment, she looked up from the cube and let Troy see how much she appreciated it.

Troy felt relief as he read her face and could tell she liked the photo cube. He also felt his heart thump a bit harder just seeing that radiant smile and her smiling eyes.

"Thank you, Troy," she said sincerely. "I don't know where or how you found this, but...well, it's just perfect. I can't wait to choose photos for it."

"I'm glad you like it, Gabi."

"You know, the man who invented the Rubik's cube, Erno Rubik, studied architecture..."

Troy's eyes lit up a bit at this new information.

Seeing she had shared a tidbit of which Troy had not been aware, Gabriella continued happily. "He saw this more as a structural design challenge than anything. He didn't really envision this becoming this hugely popular toy. He just wanted to figure out how to make all these little blocks move independently without falling apart."

"Hmm...I never really thought of it that way," Troy said thoughtfully, re-examining the photo cube with his eyes. "Thanks for sharing that with me, Gabi," he said after a few more moments, as he raised his eyes to meet hers once more.

Gabriella smiled, holding his gaze for several seconds before she thought to glance back down, remembering the small box she still had yet to open. She reached for it, wondering what else Troy could have gotten her.

Troy held his breath for the moment it took her to lift the small lid. This one was a last-minute pick but when he saw it, he'd just thought of her and thought it would be perfect.

Gabriella blinked as she saw the lovely necklace sitting inside the box. The chain was shiny and silver and it held a beautiful butterfly pendant. The butterfly had great lavender, light blue, light green, and pink hues. It also had four tiny cut diamonds on each of the tips of the butterfly wings.

"Troy...it's...beautiful," she said softly, letting two of her fingers run lightly over the butterfly design.

Troy swallowed, watching her every movement with adoration...poorly concealed adoration, if you were to ask any of the other family members in the room, currently continuing their side conversations but not oblivious to the special moments taking place between Troy and Gabriella.

As she looked back up at him, meeting his eyes, he felt he should say something about this gift too...something to let her know further what he was really trying to tell her through his gifts. "I just...saw it and thought of you..."

Gabriella's head tilted slightly, as she wondered what this statement meant.

Troy continued. "What I mean is...well, you've really gotten to grow and change...to, um...spread your wings, I guess, and go out and see more of the world...and...it's a beautiful thing to do...and...well, you seem maybe even more beautiful for having done it...and...stop me before Chad comes running in, recording my awkward explanation and threatening to post this moment on YouTube for the team to see.

Gabriella laughed at this, thinking that she understood where the gift was coming from. She wasn't sure if she was reading more into both items than she should, but it seemed to her that maybe what Troy was trying to tell her with these gifts was that he understood why it was so important for her to go to Budapest and that he was ultimately still in support of it...still in support of her. And, that maybe her trip didn't have to be this huge white elephant in the room...that they were still Troy and Gabriella and he didn't have any ill feelings toward her. Of course, whether or not he had more than supportive, friendly feelings toward her...well, she still wasn't sure.

Troy breathed more easily as the tenseness of the moment passed. Gabriella seemed to have accepted his gifts and from the expression on her face, he suspected she understood that he wanted her to know that he knew how important these past months away had been for her...that he wanted to at least regain the comfortable friendship they had. It was a start. But, could she see that he still wanted more?

* * *

Author's Note: So, hope that was an enjoyable continuation, at least. This little man could come any day, so I can't promise anything in regard to other chapters just now. We'll see what happens and we'll see what my sleep-deprived mind can come up with for this story or others in the months to come. ;-) Stay tuned. Take care, all and thanks for still reading!

* * *


	10. Tis the Season To Catch Up

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for your understanding on my need to take some time...and I know it's been quite a bit of time. That said, I love my son with my whole being and have been thoroughly enjoying my time being his mama. It's utterly exhausting and utterly entertaining and joyous all at the same time. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and if all goes well, I should have the next one up soon too. :-)

* * *

Chapter 10 - 'Tis the Season...To Catch Up

__

"Here we are as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more

Through the years we all will be together

If the fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now"

_._

"So, then what happened?" Kelsi asked excitedly, having asked Gabriella to tell her all about how her first few days back had gone.

"Nothing, Kels. Our parents wanted to hear more about Budapest, so I told them about my studies and such and they wanted to hear more about Troy's team, games, and studies so he talked about those. We all played with Livvy and we watched Christmas movies and that was that."

"Oh..."

Gabriella could hear the disappointment in her friend's tone at that moment, even if she couldn't see the frown that went with it.

"Well, what about yesterday?" Kelsi asked hopefully a moment later.

Gabriella sighed, not knowing what her friend was expecting to hear. "Yesterday, I spent the whole day with my parents. We hung out, did some shopping, ate out, and saw the new James Bond movie together. Have you seen it? That Daniel Craig is...well, he's a healthy lookin' man!"

Kelsi giggled at this, picturing the hunky man in question. She knew Gabriella was just trying to make light of her day and the fact that she had apparently not seen Troy yesterday, and she allowed her to do so, knowing there'd be time to try to make further progress with her friend in this area later. And, she knew she wouldn't be alone in this effort either. "No, I haven't seen it yet," she answered, "but that might just have to become part of our weekend agenda."

Gabriella smiled. She was looking forward to the girls' weekend. "So, what's the plan?" she inquired of her friend.

"Well, Martha's picking me up this afternoon and we're heading over to Sharpay's. Taylor's going to head over to your house around 2pm. Sharpay said we'd drive over there and pick both of you up then. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan. Looking forward to seeing you, Kels."

"Same here, Gab."

And, with that, they said their goodbyes and Gabriella set off to packing for the long weekend ahead.

* * *

"So, you choked, Bolton?" Chad asked, exasperation in his tone.

Troy rolled his eyes and shook his head, dribbing the ball once more before landing another shot effortlessly. The two were shooting some hoops out in front of the Bolton household and talking about their Christmases. "No, Chad. I did not choke," he responded, punctuating each word. "These things take time."

"You choked."

"Things went well, Chad. She liked the gifts. We talked. We had...moments."

Chad paused, making a face at his friend's description before sinking his own basket. "So, what now?" he pressed.

"I don't know. We both spent time with our families yesterday. Maybe today..."

"Let me stop you right there, dude. Not happenin' today."

"Why?"

Before Chad could answer, their conversation was interrupted as Jason and Zeke approached. "Yo, Bolton! Danforth! Hope you got your practice shots in because you're going down!"

"They've been hanging around you too long," Troy said dryly, shooting Chad a glance, before greeting his friends with some trash talk of his own.

The guys began a competitive game of two on two and as they got a moment to take a breather, Troy nudged Chad with his elbow. "What'd you mean about things not happening today?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. She's not going to be around...none of the girls are. They're doing some girly, paint their nails together, spa weekend thing."

"Oh." Troy's disappointment was evident.

"Hey man," Chad continued, seeing his friend visibly deflating before him, "Cheer up. I'd be willing to bet you'll be on her mind all weekend." Troy quirked a brow at this and Chad continued. "Come on...they're girls. And what do girls talk about? Huh? Huh?" Chad paused for dramatic effect. "Guys! Us!" Seeing the recognition of this point on Troy's face, he went on. "And you, my friend...well, with Gabi just back from Europe and you guys having spent Christmas together...the girls are bound to be talking about that."

Troy considered this. Before he could respond, he saw Chad, Zeke, and Jason's heads turn in the direction of the street as two cars approached and parked. The signature Pepto Bismol pink stretch limo could not be mistaken. He watched as Sharpay exited and Zeke trotted over to her, kissing her amidst her protests that he was sweaty. Kelsi and Martha exited next and Jason walked over to greet them. Chad made his way over to the black Nissan Altima, where Taylor was opening the trunk for the Evans' limo driver to retrieve her bag and store it in the limo. More kissing ensued and Troy turned his head away, sending the ball soaring toward the driveway basket once more and jogging to retrieve it as it swooshed through the net.

His body shot to attention a moment later and he turned, eyes lit up with hope as he heard the click of the Montez household door opening. And, there she was, Gabriella looking beautiful (but when didn't she?) pulling her suitcase over the doorstop and onto the porch landing outside the door. Her cheeks were flushed with minor exertion. She was wearing her leather jacket but he could still see that beneath it, over her sweater, she was wearing the butterfly necklace he had just given her. A grin spread across his face as he tossed the ball he was holding aside and took quick strides over to the Montez steps, ascending them swiftly.

"Afternoon, Gabi," he began. "Let me help you with that," he continued, reaching for the handle to her suitcase before easily carrying it down the steps and setting it on the driveway. Sharpay's limo driver nodded to him as he retrieved the suitcase from there and loaded it into the pink vehicle.

Troy turned back to see Gabriella descending the steps and smiling at him. "Thanks, Troy! I've no doubt packed too much as always," she said with a giggle.

Troy loved that giggle. "It was lighter than you, at least," Troy teased, not being able to resist.

Gabriella screwed up her face at this and next thing he knew, Troy felt a protesting slap on the side of his arm. "Very funny," she said dryly, the sparkle in her eye belying her enjoyment of these lighter moments.

Troy's enjoyment of this was clear as well, his smile easy. "So, heading out again so soon?"

"Yeah, just for a few days. We decided we'd do this girls' weekend once I was back, the weekend after Christmas. It'll be fun to catch up and relax some too."

"I'm sure you girls will have a good time. Just try to behave yourselves," Troy continued with the light teasing.

With mock seriousness, Gabriella nodded her head. "Yes, sir."

There were a few moments of silence as the two just stood smiling at each other. "So, um, speaking of catching up..." Troy broke the silence, "...we should really do that too sometime." He felt the buh-boom, buh-boom of his heart as he waited for her response.

Gabriella's lips turned up automatically into a warm smile. She'd been hoping he'd say that. "Definitely! Let's hang out when I get back, okay?"

"It's a date." Troy blushed and found himself looking down at the driveway at his feet, wondering what she thought of his choice of words.

Gabriella's cheeks turned a shade rosier. A date indeed. She didn't want to read too much into those familiar words, but they made her heart flutter nonetheless. "Good," she answered, not thinking of anything more clever to say.

Just then, they both heard a loud tapping noise accompanied by a huff. They looked over to see Sharpay standing a foot from them tapping her foot impatiently and holding her gaudy watch out to indicate the time to her seemingly oblivious friend.

"Oh! Sharpay...sorry! I'm coming."

"Bolton, I'm sure you have lots of intelligent things to say like 'look...I'm shooting more baskets over here' but Gabi needs to come with me. We have treatments scheduled for this evening and I don't want to be late."

Troy held up his hand in slight apology. "Nice to see you too, Sharpay. You girls have a great time. I'll stop holding you up."

Sharpay waved her hand dismissively, then turned and couldn't resist smiling at her friend whom she had missed quite a bit these last several months. Gabriella stepped forward and embraced her friend. Troy watched the two share their brief reunion and then said goodbye again to Sharpay as she headed back to the limo.

Gabriella then turned back to him with a small, apologetic smile. "Well, I'd better get down there...but, I'm looking forward to talking soon."

"Me too, Gabi."

Troy watched as Gabriella made her way down the driveway then, stopping briefly to hug Chad, Zeke, and Jason and say a few words to them before hopping into the limo, where there was no doubt a hugfest amongst the girls inside as the vehicle slowly pulled away from the curb and picked up speed heading down the street.

"Hey, Hoops! We're not done wiping the floor with these two," he heard Chad yell. Chuckling, he turned and ran back over toward his friends, knowing he'd need their distraction to help get him through another few days without his raven-haired "date."

* * *

"Gabriella, I still don't understand exactly why you didn't try to just maintain your relationship over the semester. Four months is a long time but it's not an impossible time, especially not for you two. You just seem meant for each other," Martha said.

"Yeah, destined or something," Kelsi added.

Gabriella sighed. She knew the conversation with her friends would take a turn in this direction eventually. They had been pretty restrained actually, holding back through their drive to the resort and through their facials and hot oil hair treatments. They kept their dinner conversation confined to non-Troy topics as well. But now, soaking in one of the resort's hot springs pools, the conversation had turned to Budapest, Christmas, and everyone's favorite ex-couple.

"I just...it is a long time and I didn't want to make Troy feel like he had to keep saying 'oh, but my girlfriend may call tonight' or 'oh, no, my girlfriend won't be at the game or the after party'...all the excuses...all the ways I might hold him back...keep him from enjoying his semester."

"He didn't seem to enjoy it anyway," Sharpay said matter-of-factly.

"But...why? I mean, at first when we were emailing, he seemed fine."

"What were his options?" Taylor put in.

"What are you saying?"

"Look... we just don't think that Troy was really on board with your decision," Sharpay spoke up again.

"What do you mean? He agreed with it."

"She means that he was the mopiest, most dreary version of Troy any of us have ever seen. Well, I mean, Chad gave us more of the day-to-day information but we saw him on Fall break and at Thanksgiving. That was enough. He just seemed lost," Martha explained.

"And maybe his agreement was really just him doing what he thought you wanted," Taylor added.

Gabriella felt a mix of emotions hearing this...partly pleased since she hadn't known if he'd really missed her but partly sad at the thought of Troy being so sad and at the thought that she might have misunderstood his agreement to seeing others. "So...so, he didn't date anyone else?" she asked tentatively, looking down at the steaming water surrounding her, a bit afraid to look up and see the expressions on her friends' faces. She did after a few moments of silence, catching them sharing a few uncertain glances of their own. "Oh...well...see, that's part of it too. If he did, it's...it's fine that he did...he was free to do so. If he had met anyone and we had tried still being together, he would have been faced with having to tell me from afar...or worse, being tempted into cheating...and we'd never be the same. We're friends. It's how we started. It's okay if that's where we end up."

"Gabi...I really doubt Troy would have cheated on you...or met someone to take your place. He hasn't," Taylor assured.

Gabriella looked searchingly at her friends.

"You asked if he dated anyone," Taylor continued. "Well, he did go on a few dates...never a second date...and he basically went on those few because the guys didn't know what to do to snap him out of his funk so they figured he needed to 'get back out there' as Chad put it."

Gabriella bit her lip.

"Yeah, but they soon realized that wasn't really happening," Kelsi added. "They love you, Gabs...they just...didn't love that Troy."

"I know they just wanted to help him. It's what I told him he could do...should feel free to do. I wouldn't hold it against them for encouraging him."

"What about you?" Kelsi asked gently. "Do you plan to stay in touch with Alec?"

Gabriella smiled fondly, thinking of the gentle soul she had spent some time with in Budapest. "Only as friends if we do."

"Never really became anything more?" Martha probed.

"No. It was clear to both of us it wasn't going to. I left my heart here." Gabriella paused, accepting what she had just spoken aloud.

"So, the four months have passed. You're back. Now what?" Sharpay asked in her characteristic direct style.

"I...I don't know."

* * *

An hour later, Gabriella found herself standing in her pajamas and robe out on the balcony of the suite the girls were staying in, staring at the stars in the night sky above and at the drama of the jagged cliffs that rose up to meet that sky directly across from where she was standing. She'd said she was going to go give her parents a ring to remind them of something, but she'd really just wanted a few moments of quiet. She brought the mug of hot tea to her lips and took a sip of the steaming liquid, thinking back on the conversation she'd had with her friends. 'Now what?'...the million dollar question. The girls had given her a break from that point on, sensing her discomfort and uncertainty - she suspected it was a temporary reprieve as they still had the rest of the weekend ahead of them.

But then the weekend would end...and she and Troy had a "date" to hang out and talk. Should she tell him about Alec? No, she decided. There was no point, other than to assure Troy that he'd been the only one in her heart this whole time...but she could do that without mention of the sweet boy she had tried to date but considered more of a friend than anything. Besides, she certainly didn't want to hear about any of the girls Troy had dated while she was away.

She fingered the necklace around her neck. She had put it back on after she'd showered. It was beautiful. It had a simple elegance, the kind Troy knew she liked. She liked that he continued to get her such thoughtful gifts. She knew it was a good start, but just wasn't sure where to go from here. She felt now, given Christmas and their earlier conversation, that they could somewhat easily slip back into being friends, but selfishly, she wanted to jump past the just friends stage and get back to where they had left off. She didn't know if that was impatient or unrealistic. She figured she'd have to continue to try to read Troy's emotions and actions when they did next hang out.

Just then, she felt her phone buzz in her robe pocket. A smile spread across her face as she retrieved it and saw the text message staring back at her.

"Chad wants to know what color nail polish you girls decided on so he can paint his to match..."

The warmth spread through her as she acknowledged the fact that, on whatever level, Troy was thinking of her at that moment too. Gabriella set her tea down on the nearby table and brought her fingers up to her phone to write back.

"I highly doubt that...we don't have our manis and pedis until Sunday, but I'm sure if he goes with any shade of purple, he'll be sure to match Tay."

"Hmm...note to self...find purple nail polish..."

Gabriella laughed out loud.

"Poor Chad...lol"

"Poor Chad shouldn't have drunk too much and passed out across my bed"

This made Gabriella giggle some more. She thought a moment before responding again.

"Indeed. Well, if you need nail polish, you can grab some from my room...balcony door should be unlocked."

She took another sip of her tea and waited. It was a minute or two before she received a response.

"Thanks! May take you up on that. Having a fun time so far?"

"Yes...very relaxing" (except for the part where your friends grill you, she thought) "How about you guys?"

"That's good. We had fun...hoops, video games, drinking...not too exciting."

"Still good to hang out though, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Hanging out is good."

" :-) "

"Guess I'll get back to messing with Chad. Thanks for the help!"

"Anytime!"

"Sleep well, Gabi."

"You too, Troy."

Putting her phone back into her pocket with a smile, Gabriella thought she just might sleep well tonight after all.

* * *

Troy stared down at his phone, smiling. He hadn't been sure if he should text, if it would be an intrusion of some sort on her weekend. Now, he was glad he did. It's not that they said much, but just that what they did say was fairly easy and well received.

Minutes later, as he found himself climbing a familiar tree, feet landing softly on a familiar balcony, he thought about the comfort and trust she still had with him, that she'd suggest he enter her room. He was also thinking back on more certain times when he'd done so and she had been there smiling and welcoming him. He wished this was one of those times. As he stepped into her room, he smelled her familiar scent, looked around and saw the familiar surroundings. Photos of he and Gabi still littered the room. He moved to sit down on the bed and spotted the Rubik's cube digital photo frame sitting on her desk, photos from her semester already rotating through it. He smiled initially at her eagerness to use his gift, but that smile slowly faded as he saw a repeating pattern, pictures of the same guy standing next to Gabriella. Troy eyed him critically. He was slighter of build and not quite as tall. He had blonde hair and green eyes and wore an easy smile. He looked like a genuinely nice guy...and that made him the kind of guy Gabriella would be drawn to. Was this why she wanted him to come to her room? Was it her way of telling him she'd moved on? Troy forced himself to look away. Maybe he was making more out of this than was there. Most of the photos, after all, were group photos.

As he scanned the rest of the room, he spotted Gabriella's collection of nail polish and other make up items on her dresser. He stood up wearily and moved in that direction, selecting what looked like a purple shade to him and shoving it in his pocket. Before exiting onto the balcony once more, he spared a final glance at her nightstand. He knew she used to keep her journal there, as she'd write a little bit each night. He didn't see it there tonight. Either it was still packed somewhere, she had taken it with her on her weekend, or she had stopped journaling. He figured the second possibility seemed most likely. It was just as well...much as he wanted to know where they stood, he didn't want to do something to impede any progress they were making now. Violating her privacy was not the way to go. He needed to talk with her, and he would...soon. That was the thought that stayed with Troy as he headed back to his house.

* * *

Gabriella had indeed slept well. She was feeling pretty positive about things as she woke up the next morning. She happily attended a yoga class and then breakfast with the girls, followed by some time at the indoor pool and then some more treatments. At breakfast, she had been amused by the photo Troy had texted to her of Chad waking up and discovering his purple nails. By lunch, she had suggested a hot oil treatment for Chad's hair if he dared to let himself go again tonight. Troy seemed to like the idea, but texted her later that night that Chad had behaved himself and that he was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed tonight, as opposed to the floor, as he had last night. Gabriella thought about sleeping (or not sleeping) in that bed with him, but then forced her thoughts back to more innocent things like holding his hand once more.

Troy enjoyed the periodic texts that next day. The photos he'd seen from her trip were still nagging at him, but he tried to focus on the fact that she was here now...well, not here, as in right there with him, but here as in being in the same country as him...the same city even. Take that, happy, blonde dude who lives who knows where. He was amused by Gabriella's interest in his Chad pranks. He was...let's say, distracted when she'd filled him in on the treatments the girls were having, picturing that golden body of hers covered in mud...well, it wasn't a horrible image by any means. He fell asleep with such an image on his mind and had dreams that were not so much sweet as spicy.

* * *

"dfioinlllnnfsddwe"

Gabriella looked down at her phone, confusion spreading across her face. A minute later, she saw another cryptic text from Troy.

"uueper eitttasx"

"Another text from Troy, huh?" Kelsi asked.

Gabriella looked at her friend sheepishly for a moment. They were just finishing up a late morning walk together around the resort grounds. "Yeah...but I'm not sure what it means or if he even meant to send it."

Kelsi peered at the phone as Gabriella held it out for her inspection. "Hmm...yeah, you know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you should call him and ask him what it means."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows at her friend suspiciously, seeing the sparkle in her eye as she made her suggestion.

"What?" Kelsi continued. "I just mean, what if his phone has a virus or something? It's only right to let him know."

The grin on her friend's face was telling, but Gabriella didn't really feel of a mood to argue. She had been contemplating actually calling Troy today anyway. She nodded her agreement and Kelsi said she'd see her back at the suite in a bit.

Gabriella turned toward a guest patio seating area and moved her fingers over her phone to instruct it to dial Troy's number. She took a deep breath as she listened to the phone ring, and was just sitting down on a patio chair when she heard his velvety voice.

"Hey Gabi! How's your day going?"

"Hey Troy! Pretty good so far. I just wanted to check with you about something. Did you just send me two really odd texts?"

There was a pause on the line. "Oh...ha! No, sorry! Livvy had gotten hold of my phone."

Gabriella laughed. "Ah...I was hoping I just wasn't missing some secret code or something."

"Actually, yes, you were...the code was asking when you were getting back home."

"I see," Gabriella responded, amused, "Well, we still have lunch and our manicures and pedicures. I should be home late this afternoon, probably around 4 or so."

"Good stuff. So, I don't know if you'll be feeling too tired or if you have plans with your parents or anything, but if you want, maybe we could go grab dinner or coffee or something..." Troy trailed off uncertainly.

Gabriella bit her lip considering. She hadn't made specific plans with her parents but she knew they would want to spend some time with her tonight. "I'd like that. I just need to check in with mom and dad in case they were planning something."

"No problem. I understand."

"I'll give you a call back and let you know, okay?"

"Sounds good. Talk to you then."

Gabriella hung up the phone and called her parents. She reached her mother who assured her they understood if she wanted to do dinner with Troy, but just said they'd love to spend time with her after dinner.

She called Troy back and let him know and they arranged to head out to dinner around 6. Saying goodbye to Troy once more, she stood and headed toward the suite, the thoughts playing in her head causing her lips to curve repeatedly.

* * *

Gabriella stared at the clock once more. 5:55. She was sitting on her bed, having returned home around 4, retreated to her room to unpack, done a load of laundry, filled her parents in on some of the details of her weekend, and retreated to her room once more to put her clothes away. She was bouncing her knees up and down in nervous anticipation. She stared at the clock once more. 5:56. Her eyes trailed back over the journal she had put back onto the nightstand next to the clock just a short while ago. She wondered what she'd be writing in it tonight. 5:57. Gabriella decided she should probably go downstairs now and say goodbye to her parents. Having done so, she slipped on her jacket, grabbed her purse and stepped out the front door. Pulling the door shut, she turned to see Troy doing the same next door. They paused, noticing each other, smiles forming on their faces before each slowly descended their steps and they met up on the driveway below.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Well, you look...like you found Hans's work to be pleasing," Troy said with a smirk.

"Hans, huh? Actually, I was more a fan of Helga. She wasn't too friendly, but she had skills," Gabriella responded, mirth in her voice.

"Nice." After a brief pause, Troy continued. "So, um, I can drive."

"Okay." And, with that, they moved toward the street, where Troy had last parked his car. Reaching the passenger door first, Troy proceeded to open it for Gabriella, flashing her that smile she knew she had missed every day of her time away. She thanked him, climbed into the car and tucked her feet inside before he pushed the door shut and came around to get in on the driver's side.

They had a short drive to the local diner, Patsy's, a favorite place of theirs to eat and talk. On the way, they talked about the car - Troy had finally upgraded the stereo system, as he'd wanted to for a while. They talked about the weather - the local meteorologist was predicting a possibility of snow for New Year's Eve. Before they knew it, they found themselves sitting in a booth at the diner, sipping from the glasses of water that the waitress had placed before them automatically, assuring them that she'd be back in a few minutes to take their orders.

Gabriella scanned the menu. Not surprisingly, nothing had really changed; the menu, but for a few holiday specials, had remained the same since they had begun coming here in high school. When the waitress returned, she knew exactly what she wanted. So did Troy. Having ordered, they both handed the waitress their menus and she left them to take their order back to the kitchen.

"Breakfast for dinner...I never would have guessed," Troy teased.

Gabriella grinned. "You know how I love my brinner."

"I do."

"About as much as you love your chicken pot pie."

Troy chuckled. "Touche. I guess when you know something's good, you stick with it." He spoke that sentiment lightly, but both seemed to contemplate the statement on a deeper level.

"Speaking of good, have you saved me any of those chocolates I brought back for you?"

"Gabi, isn't the idea of a gift that once you give it, it is someone else's, not yours?"

"I know not of what you speak."

Laughing with each other and just enjoying one another's company, they didn't notice the familiar faces approaching them until they heard the voices that went with them.

"No way! I thought you said you weren't hanging out with us tonight," Jason exclaimed.

Troy and Gabriella looked up to see he and Kelsi standing next to their table, Jason wearing an excited expression, Kelsi wearing an apologetic one. Confusion passed over Troy and Gabriella's faces.

"Well, yeah," Troy answered slowly, "Gabi and I were grabbing dinner..."

"Right. Thanks for gettin' the booth a while!"

"Umm..." Gabriella began, but wasn't sure how to finish.

"I'm sorry, guys," Kelsi put in. "We didn't know you would be here. The rest of the gang is coming here too. We were all going to grab dinner together."

"Oh," Gabriella answered, once more amazed at her own eloquence, or lack thereof.

"So, any specials tonight?" Jason asked perkily, plopping down on the seat next to Troy.

"J, come on. I don't think Gabi and Troy were planning on eating with the rest of us," Kelsi said, trying to persuade her boyfriend to stand back up and come with her.

"Why not? I mean, they're here. We're here. Oh, look, Sharpay and Zeke just got here, Martha and Ryan too." As he said this, Jason waved over the additional friends. "Come on, Bolton, scoot closer to Gabs...we need to make more room. Kelsi, why are you still standing?"

Troy and Gabriella exchanged an uncertain glance, and then, accepting the situation for what it was apparently going to be, they slid closer to each other. The hostess had actually seated them at a round booth, so there was actually room to spare for others to join them.

Resignedly, Kelsi moved to sit next to Jason now that more room had been cleared for her to do so. Sharpay and Zeke slid in next to Gabriella, and Ryan and Martha pulled over a nearby table to join up with the booth table, giving them enough room to sit with the group and also leaving two chairs, which Chad and Taylor filled once they arrived several minutes later. Conversation was lively as the group of friends all caught up with one another, chatting about each other's holiday, the prior semester, and the new year ahead. As they enjoyed their friends' company, Troy and Gabriella exchanged humored glances and glances promising one another that they'd still find time to continue their own catching up. The evening wasn't turning out exactly as they had planned, but, as they felt the heat of each other and bumped into each other reaching for their drinks, they could at least appreciate that their friends had forced them to squish together at the back of the booth.

* * *

Driving home after dinner, Troy and Gabriella chatted lightly about things that had been discussed that night, such as the Evans' New Year's Eve party, Zeke's obsession with the Food Network, and Martha's new dance class. As they pulled up in front of the Bolton household, their conversation tapered off. They exited the car and started to walk up the driveway quietly.

"Well, I guess my parents are probably waiting to spend some more time with me," Gabriella said softly.

"No doubt," Troy responded, glancing toward the Montez front door and back at Gabriella. "Tonight was fun, if not exactly quiet."

Gabriella giggled at this. "No, not quiet at all...but, yeah, it was fun."

Troy's smile was his only response.

"Okay, well I guess I should..." Gabriella said, giving Troy an apologetic half-nod as she began to turn her body toward her house.

"Oh, yeah, yeah...sure," Troy responded, hoping he was disguising the disappointment in his voice well enough. As he started to nod and turn slowly toward his own front door, he was brought up short by the sound of Gabriella's tentative voice.

"Hey, Troy..." Troy turned to face her once more. "Are we...okay?"

Troy paused before responding softly, "Yeah, Gabi, we're okay."

"It's just...well...you stopped emailing and...I didn't know...well...I just didn't know."

Silence filled the air for several moments before Troy responded. "I thought we were supposed to feel free to do as we liked..."

Ouch. Gabriella bit her lip. She could sense something in Troy's tone, but wasn't sure what it was. Sarcasm? Bitterness? "Well...yes...that's true..." She didn't know what to say to that. "It's fine, of course, that you didn't..."

"Is it fine, Gabi? Really?" Again, that edge to his tone.

Gabriella stood there, trying to read him, trying to read his face and the tone of his voice. "You're angry."

Troy ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what he was hoping to accomplish. "I'm just...look, it was kind of a strange situation to be put in...you, the girl I'd been with nearly four years encouraging me to go date others and such. I just...didn't know what to write, so I stopped emailing. I figured you were probably getting too busy over there to notice too much anyway."

"Troy, I...no, I see your point. I just...wondered," Gabriella finished weakly.

Troy sighed. "Look, Gabi, I am glad you had such an amazing experience over there. I am. I didn't know what to write then, but it doesn't mean I wasn't wanting to talk to you."

"Okay."

"I know maybe that makes no sense, but..."

"No, I think I understand. I didn't mean to be confusing and to want my cake and eat it too or anything."

"Who ever came up with that saying, anyway? Why wouldn't you want to eat your cake? What else are you going to do with it, just stare at it?" Troy joked, trying to lighten the conversation. He knew Gabriella had to get going and he didn't want to end their night on such a tense note.

Gabriella smiled hesitantly. "I have no idea...a skinny model-type who doesn't eat?"

Troy chuckled lightly. "Maybe. So, what are you up to tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. How about you?"

"Well, during the day, I'm going with Dad in search of some more parts for the old Chevy he's fixing up. Then, tomorrow night, I'm watching Livvy while mom and dad go out. Care to join me? For the Livvy part, that is...unless you've developed an interest in fixing up old cars while in Europe."

Gabriella grinned. "No, I haven't. But my interest in adorable baby girls remains in tact. Sure, I'd love to come hang with you and Livvy."

Troy's lips curved at the reference to hanging out with him as well in that statement. "Great. Come over around 5?"

"Sure," Gabriella nodded.

They exchanged goodbyes then and entered their respective houses, wondering about the brief rawness of their conversation, knowing they needed to continue it, and hoping for the best possible outcome when they did so.


	11. Tis the Season to Stay Warm

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Thanks so much for continuing to read! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and go see Charlie St. Cloud...le sigh, le sigh, le sigh. :-)

* * *

Chapter 11 - 'Tis the Season...To Stay Warm

__

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

...

The fire is slowly dying

And, my dear, we're still goodbying

But as long as you love me so

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"

_._

"I thought you said she liked peaches," Gabriella said skeptically.

"She did yesterday," Troy said, exasperated by his little sister's current quest to eat as little for him as possible.

Gabriella's lips twitched with amusement. She had arrived just a little while ago and Troy had informed her that she was just in time for dinner, Olivia's that was. Pulling up a chair at the table as she watched Troy strap his baby sister into her high chair, she had been impressed as Troy had warmed up and fed Olivia a jar of turkey and sweet potatoes. He truly seemed to enjoy the task and little Livvy had seemed receptive, babbling away happily in between bites. Now, with peaches, it was an entirely different story.

Troy had begun the same as he had with the turkey/sweet potatoes mix and Livvy had initially accepted the offered spoon, but the second spoonful had taken more work and by the third, Livvy was ducking her head to the side. Troy tried the old "airplane in the hangar" trick, which won him a couple more accepted spoonfuls, mainly because Livvy was distracted by the funny noise her big brother was making. Gabriella clapped her hands and made faces at the little girl, trying to distract her long enough to accept more bites of food. This worked for a spoonful or two as well, but eventually proved to just get Olivia excited, so excited that she started to flail her arms...just as Troy was moving the spoon full of peach puree in her direction.

Troy heard her peals of laughter, her enjoyment unhidden as he slowly relaxed his scrunched up eyelids and let out the breath he'd sucked in a moment ago as he'd been sprayed in the face with wet peach goodness. "I'm glad you're enjoying this," he remarked dryly, despite the fact that he was enjoying the way Gabriella's face was lit up with amusement as she stared at him and tried to send him a sympathetic look. "And you..." he turned to his sister, leaned in, and gave her what he hoped was a chastising big brotherly look, but he couldn't help but chuckle as she proceeded to squeal and reach out her chubby little fingers to smear them through the peaches on his cheek with glee. He heard Gabriella giggle.

"I think Livvy's onto something. The spa didn't offer us a peach facial."

Troy turned to her, about to roll his eyes when his lips suddenly started to curve upward. "Well now, that's just a shame. You shouldn't miss out on this...it's great!" he said with mirth, dipping his finger into the bowl and coating it with the sticky orange substance.

"Troy...don't..." she warned, starting to push her chair back from the table as she saw him leaning toward her. The next thing she knew, she was distracted by another squeal from Livvy and then she found herself feeling a cold, wet finger trailing down her nose.

He found himself laughing aloud as her wide eyes darted back to him, a shocked look on her face despite the fact that she'd anticipated his intentions. "Thanks for the help, Livvy," he said cheerfully, turning to give his baby sis an approving smile. But it was his turn to look shocked as he felt the bowl being yanked from his hand and then felt a puddle of wetness on the top of his head. The smell of peaches overwhelmed him as he felt the liquid seep into his hair and begin to trail down the side of his face, joining the blobs that were already there from Livvy's initial fruit assault. He knew his mouth was hanging agape and took a moment to recover, bringing his finger up to it and sucking the remaining peach puree off of it, considering its sweetness and thinking that his sister was silly for refusing it. Said sister was currently smiling her two-toothed smile and banging her hands on her high chair tray with enthusiasm. Yep, this evening was already turning out to be pretty interesting.

Gabriella perched on the edge of her chair, hand up in front of her mouth, trying not to laugh, feeling the stickiness on her nose and knowing it was nothing compared to the stickiness on Troy's whole head. She didn't know quite what had come over her but like a player in any competitive match, she had seen her chance to get the advantage and had taken it. Now, she wondered if she had gone too far.

She saw him insert his finger into his mouth, the finger that had smeared peaches on her nose a moment ago. She watched as he considered the taste and then slowly reached up with his other hand to remove the now empty plastic pink bowl from his head, setting it down on the table next to him as he turned to her.

She looked like she wanted equally to laugh at what he imagined was his ridiculous appearance and to apologize ten times over for her rash behavior. He found himself grinning and saw her body relax a little, her hand slowly lowering from her mouth, her lips pulling back, showing her pearly whites as she grinned back at him sheepishly.

"Gabi?"

"Yes, Troy."

"Do you think I look better as a redhead?"

At this, the laugh Gabriella had been holding in burst forth as she hugged her waist and bent forward, her feet lifting off the floor before she rocked backward once more. Troy joined her, watching her chortle with abandon for a few minutes.

"Gagagabababadadada," Olivia asserted, punctuating the statement with another bang on the tray.

"Exactly," Troy responded, nodding his head at her, feeling more peaches stream down from his hair as he did so. Turning back to Gabriella, he spoke matter-of-factly. "You realize that now you get to finish up Livvy's dinner while I go wash this out of my hair."

Gabriella pulled herself together and cleared her throat, stifling another giggle. "Sure thing. What's left?"

Troy quirked a humored brow. "No more peaches apparently."

"No, no, it doesn't seem so."

Troy grabbed a napkin from the holder in the middle of the table and handed it to her. Gabriella took it and wiped the strip of peaches from her nose. Troy grabbed a couple napkins and started to mop up some of the sticky mixture from his face and some of the excess from his hair. Then, with thoughts of preventing staining of his shirt, he began to unbutton it, noticing Gabriella watching him from beneath lowered lashes and inwardly smiling at this. He had thrown himself into his workouts this semester and he was glad for this as he thought he could see her poorly disguised appreciation for the results. "She can have some of her puff snacks and some juice," he said, motioning to each of these already sitting on the table. "Then, just rub her two teeth and her gums with this finger toothbrush thing, wipe up her face and hands, remove her bib, and she can get back down and play."

"Got it...sorry."

"Don't apologize...just remember what they say about payback," Troy shot back with a mischievous wink before rising from the table, shirt in hand.

Gabriella's eyebrows rose as she found herself staring at his muscular back as it disappeared from the kitchen a moment later, a sight for sore eyes to be sure.

* * *

A little while later, they found themselves sitting on the floor in Olivia's playroom. Olivia sat between them, alternately playing with her blocks, her new talking stuffed bunny, and her books.

"So, tell me more about Budapest. Tell me about your friends there. I saw some of your photos of them in your new frame when I went to find the purple nail polish the other night."

"Well, hmm, let's see...I met Sarah the first day. She and I were both waiting at the airport for our host families to pick us up. She's from Northern California, the Sacramento area. You'd like her...she's so funny and full of life. She says exactly what she thinks and doesn't apologize for who she is. She's like a mix between Tay and Sharpay."

"A woman to be reckoned with then, huh?"

"Definitely!"

"So, you two got close?"

"Yeah. We clicked right away and it was just really nice to have that kind of girlfriend over there, especially since it was from the very start."

"Well, I'm glad you two had each other."

"Yeah, me too."

Troy handed Livvy back the block she had just tossed in his direction, before asking Gabriella to continue telling him about her other friends.

"Well, there was Paul. Sarah and I met him in our two-week survival Hungarian language class right at the beginning of the semester and he and Sarah quickly became an item. They were incredibly cute and sickening."

Troy smiled at this, thinking about the fact that he and Gabriella had been accused of that in the past as well. "So, you learned some Hungarian, then?"

"Yeah. It helped to be able to communicate with my host family a bit better, as well as to just get by in the country."

"Makes sense. Say something in Hungarian."

"Umm...Amerikai vagyok. Maga magyar?"

"And what does that mean."

"I am American. Are you Hungarian?"

"Nice. Learn anything else useful?"

Gabriella thought for a moment. "A gulyast kerem."

"Which means?"

"I'd like the goulash."

Troy chuckled at this. "Well, that _is_ useful."

"Thought you'd think so."

Olivia paused in the chewing of her book to give Troy and Gabi a puzzled look. "Sorry, Livvy. We'll stick to English," Gabriella said with a wink in the tiny girl's direction. Livvy seemed to like this and squealed back her approval. Gabriella reached out and squeezed the middle of a stuffed seahorse, causing it to light up and begin playing classical music. Livvy stretched out her arms happily and Gabriella handed her the seahorse.

Troy watched this interaction with a smile. "So, you knew Sarah and Paul. Then, who'd you meet?"

"Well, we met Chelsea in our Conjecture and Proof class. She was a cool chic from New York, laid back but brilliant nonetheless. She shared an apartment with Lucy, from Rhode Island, who we met when the two of them threw a party one weekend."

"I knew you were doing some heavy partying, Montez."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I did some heavy studying too. The courses were great but intense."

"Yeah? Do you feel like you learned a lot?"

"Oh, definitely. I was challenged to really think, like with the Conjecture and Proof class. The problems came from all branches of mathematics. Some were like 'prove that such-and-such is impossible.' I don't know. It was fun for me."

Troy nodded, listening intently.

"More than that. I do feel an edge for sure, having gained this extra knowledge and experience. I think it will really help with graduate school."

"I'm glad."

A small smile shown on Gabriella's face. "Anyway, you are correct too that it wasn't all studies. But it was more traveling and exploring than partying."

"That's right. You said the other day that you had gotten to visit Vienna and Prague?"

"Yes! They were wonderful. I'll have to show you pictures. But I also got to just travel within Hungary and enjoyed that too. Parliament was interesting...got to see St. Stephen's crown. The Museum of Ethnography nearby was pretty informative and the design of it was great. The design of all the buildings was amazing. Apparently, there was a contest at the end of the 1800s to design the Parliament building and the first place design became the Parliament, but the second place design became the Museum of Ethnography. The third place design became the Ministry of Agriculture.

"Yeah, I think I read that in my book."

"Oh, good." Gabriella beamed, glad that Troy had already begun reading it.

"Did you visit any other museums?"

"Oh, yeah. The National Museum taught me a lot about Hungary's history. The Vasarely Museum was awesome...optical art...looked like things were moving as I walked past them. And, the Toy Museum was just plain whimsical and fun."

"Sounds up my alley...or Livvy's."

"Maybe," Gabriella responded with a smile. "Paul and Alec had a blast there."

"Oh, yeah? Good stuff." Troy paused, noting the new name she had used. "So, was Alec a friend of Paul's?"

"Um...yeah. Paul knew him first." She could sense that Troy was waiting for her to continue. She shifted her eyes in Olivia's direction instead. "I think someone's ready for bed."

"Mmm, I think you're right," Troy agreed a moment later, seeing his baby sister yawn and rub her eyes. "I'll go warm up her bottle and then we can take her to her nursery."

"Okay."

As they changed Livvy's diaper, put her pajamas on, read her a bedtime story, and gave her her bedtime bottle, Gabriella couldn't help feeling an inner warmth, wondering if she and Troy might one day get a chance to do these things with a child of their own. She realized just how much she hoped they would.

* * *

Having left Olivia sound asleep in her crib, Troy and Gabriella walked quietly out of the nursery and made their way to the den. Snow was now falling outside and had begun to stick to the windows. The room was a little drafty and a shiver ran through Gabriella as they entered. Troy noticed.

"Sorry, Gabi. I'll get the fireplace going."

"That sounds nice, Troy. Do your parents have any hot cocoa?"

"Yeah, they should. It should be in the pantry."

"Okay. I'll go make us some."

"Sounds good. Thanks!"

Gabriella returned a couple minutes later and placed the two mugs of cocoa down on the coffee table. She chose to sit down on the floor next to the backside of the table, the side nearer to the fireplace than the couch. Troy had thrown a few logs into the fireplace, had gotten a small flame burning, and was still stoking it to increase the strength of the fire. Gabriella watched him, crouched down in front of the fireplace, poker in hand, concentrating on the task at hand. She watched the play of the glow and shadows off his face, making his eyes look darker at that moment. He turned to smile at her briefly and she was struck by such an ache for him. She smiled back and reached for her mug of cocoa and took a lingering sip, continuing to watch as he finished stoking the fire, replaced the grate in front of the fire, and put the poker back in its stand. He took the few steps necessary to reach the coffee table and sat down next to her, retrieving his mug and taking a sip of the hot liquid as well.

"Mmmm...good idea, Gabi."

"I have those every now and again," she teased.

Troy grinned. "So, you were starting to tell me about...hmm...Alec, I think." Since Sarah and Paul were a couple, Troy could pick them out from the photos he had seen. Therefore, he knew the blonde guy from the photos had to be Alec. He both wanted to know and didn't want to know about this guy.

Gabriella's stomach did a flip-flop. She had left her description of Alec until last, not sure how much she would reveal even without trying to reveal much. "Well," she began slowly, "As you guessed, Alec was friends with Paul, so that's how we met him. Actually, they shared an apartment during the semester. Paul is from San Francisco, which, yes, is quite a nice thing for he and Sarah. Anyway, Paul has family in Vancouver and that's how he knew Alec. Alec is friends with Paul's cousin, Dylan. So, they arranged to get a place together in Budapest and that worked out well for them."

"Are the apartments pretty nice?" _And how much time did you spend in that particular apartment?_ he also wanted to add.

"Yeah. I guess so. They came fully furnished. They weren't huge, but were a decent size."

"But you're glad you stayed with a host family?"

"Definitely. It was just fun to see how another family lives and to be a part of that, and Eva, Pal, and Erika were so sweet."

Troy smiled. "So, your group of friends included Sarah, Paul, Chelsea, Lucy, and Alec, then?"

"Basically. I met others throughout the semester too, of course, but I hung out the most with the people I've told you about."

"Traveling, partying, studying...?"

"Yeah...grabbing meals and stuff too. And, sometimes that just meant picnicking too. There was this one park we liked that was on a small island in the middle of the Danube. It had a central fountain that played classical music. So surreal, but nice."

Troy thought about how romantic such a spot sounded and tried not to let his mind wonder too far concerning who she had enjoyed this place with.

"Oh!" Gabriella exclaimed a moment later. "I can't believe I almost forgot, but I wanted to tell you about the museum you might have enjoyed the most."

"I'm intrigued."

"You should be. It was in this town just north of Budapest called Szentendre...the Marcipan Museum. It's this small museum above a candy shop that has these

amazing sculptures made of marzipan and chocolate."

"Ah...I begin to see why you thought of me."

"Exactly," Gabriella grinned. "We saw a model of the Hungarian Parliament building, busts of famous Hungarians, scenes from Snow White and from The Little Mermaid, even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a life-size statue of Michael Jackson. It was great."

"Sounds it."

Again, Troy wondered at the vague "we" but decided to just accept what she was willing to tell him. He suspected there was more to Gabi's relationship to Alec, but figured he might not necessarily want to know more details.

"So, it really was a dream experience, right?" Troy asked. "The whole semester, I mean...not just the chocolate part," he added with a slight smile.

Gabriella returned the smile and paused only a moment before answering softly, "Yeah, it really was."

Troy nodded, accepting this, glad that it had been all she had wanted and needed it to be. He had missed her like crazy and he didn't know what their future held, but he knew he would always want her happiness and he knew he wouldn't have ever taken back his initial encouragement and insistence that she seize this opportunity.

Gabriella seemed to read this acceptance, even happiness for her emanating from him. But there was more, questions he wanted to ask but wouldn't, for which she was grateful, and then the questions bubbling near the surface that would have to be spoken...by one of them. Troy's next words interrupted that train of thought. It seemed he would be the one.

"Gabi...did you miss me?" There was such vulnerability in his voice that Gabriella felt her heart ache...for him, for her, for the love they'd shared over the years.

"Yes. Every single day," she answered honestly, her eyes meeting his, hiding nothing.

Troy searched her eyes with his own, seeing there a willingness to finally talk about their future, a desire to get things out in the open. And what he heard in her voice...what he heard gave him goosebumps...gave him hope. "I missed you too. I thought about getting on a plane to Budapest at least a couple dozen times." Even in the firelit room, he could see her eyes light up a bit at this admission.

Gabriella could feel her heartbeat pick up a bit hearing this. She had to know. "Troy, where do we stand now? Do you...still love me?"

Troy slid his hand across the table, joining it with hers and squeezing lightly. "Yes. Every single day," he said, echoing her previous answer to his question. He watched the smile slowly gather itself together and rise up on her face. And then he saw her big, brown eyes, moistening with emotion. How could he not love this beautiful woman?

Gabriella could not look away from his sincere face, nor would she want to if she could. He still loved her. She knew there was more to be said, but she wanted to communicate what was in her heart in a more powerful way. It was to that end that she found herself leaning toward him.

Troy felt the stillness of the air surrounding them, or perhaps it was just that everything seemed to stop for him in that moment as he waited...anticipating, hoping. His body leaned too, pulled to her almost magnetically.

Home.

That was the best way to describe the feeling - as their lips found each other once more after months of wanting, it was like coming home.

The kiss built slowly at first, lips joining in a dance so familiar and yet new again. Troy moved his hand from Gabriella's hand to her head, entwining his fingers in her hair as he lost himself further in the kiss. Gabriella found herself inching closer to Troy, placing her hands on his legs, then his chest, then around his neck as she strove to get closer. She was encouraged by Troy's hand continuing to hold her head to him as the thoroughness of their kiss increased and by his other hand finding its way to her lower back, urging her forward.

Troy held her willing body to him, marveling at the sensation, grateful that he was feeling it once more. As he tasted her mouth, he felt himself melt into her further.

Gabriella did not want the moment to end; she didn't want the spell to be broken. To that end, it seemed only natural as she first rose onto her knees to press closer to him and then, to steady herself, moved one leg to straddle his two outstretched ones. Doing so, however, seemed to set them on a course it would have been very difficult to turn back from, had they chosen to do so.

The position was all too familiar, all too tempting. The moment was theirs, this moment they'd both hoped for and desired for months. Their lips separated and they held each other's gaze for a heated moment, the silent agreement of lovers. And then, with the urgency of two who have been longing for each other for too many nights, clothing was tossed aside piece by piece, lips seared heated skin, skin pressed to skin, and limbs intertwined, as did tongues.

She gasped as he entered her, reveling in the joy of that feeling. Troy felt the power of the moment as well and continued to kiss her lips, her eyes, her neck...everywhere he could as he moved within her, building them toward their release.

Gabriella vaguely sensed the crackle of the nearby fire and clearly sensed her own inner fire threatening to consume her as their bodies worked together as one. God, how she had missed this feeling!

Troy could see the flush of her skin, could hear her breaths coming more quickly in between her mewls and moans, and could feel her body responding to his in the same wonderful way he remembered.

The sweat glistened on his muscular shoulder, the shoulder she gripped tightly as she found her bliss. Troy swiftly followed her into that oblivion and they held to each other, holding on to the feeling as long as they both could. They found themselves lying side by side on the floor next to the fire, their bodies and their breathing beginning to calm down.

Gabriella let her eyes close and let her thoughts drift to a place of happy possibilities for a moment.

Troy snuck a peek at her and his lips curved into a lazy smile...one to match the one that was sitting on her lovely face.

Eyes still closed, Gabriella turned and curled her body into his and Troy, like second nature, pulled her in even closer. Her arm rested across his stomach and her upper leg perched atop his. All was well with the world...

And then they heard a door slam...a car door, to be exact. Their eyes flew open and they shared a brief horrified stare.

"Oh my God, oh my God...where's my sweater?" Gabriella cried, jumping up and grabbing at the clothes she could most easily locate.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Troy exclaimed, scrambling about to retrieve and don his clothes once more. Hearing Gabriella's question, he grabbed her sweater from beneath the coffee table and thrust it into her hands. Having presumably received the last piece she needed, he saw her scramble across the hallway and into the bathroom, just as he heard the key turning in the front door lock. He hustled to pull his shirt back over his head, gave a quick look downward to make sure all was zipped up appropriately, and glanced about the room, lunging toward the couch and stuffing something purple and lacy into his pocket just as his dad entered the room.

Jack Bolton eyed his son quizzically, noting the hand stuffed in his right pocket and the less than casual nature of his appearance. The fire was going...Troy looked like he'd just spent a brief time in a sauna...it didn't take much for Jack to contemplate the possible pieces of this puzzle.

Troy shifted his weight to his other foot, trying to relax his body and appear more laid back and natural. He cleared his throat. "Hey dad. How was your evening?"

Jack smirked at his son. "Not half as good as yours, I'll bet."

Troy felt the heat rise onto his face and suddenly found the empty mugs on the coffee table to be very interesting. Lucille entered the room, raising an eyebrow quizzically at her husband as she noted the silence. Jack just shrugged, a glimmer in his eyes. Hmm. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. "Well, Livvy looks peaceful. Looks like you guys did a good job with her."

Troy looked up at his mom and smiled, avoiding his dad's knowing stare. "It's always fun to hang out with Livvy. I miss her when I'm off at school."

"I know, dear. You're great with her," Lucy said with a proud smile. "Where's Gabi?"

"Right here, Lucy," Gabriella answered, as she entered the room, looking calm, cool, and collected...and fully dressed. Well, almost fully. Troy knew differently. "Sorry...I just had to use the powder room for a minute."

"No problem, dear. Thanks for helping Troy tonight." Jack coughed and Troy glared at him.

Seeing the interchange, Gabriella eyed both men uncertainly for a moment before turning her focus back to Lucy. "It was my pleasure," she said softly. Realizing the undertones of that statement, she fought the blush that threatened to come on.

"Would you like to stay for a quick snack, dear?" Lucille offered.

"Um, no...thank you. I'm kind of tired. I think I'm just going to head back home."

"Okay. Well, thanks again. You are a sweetheart."

Gabriella smiled. "Night, Lucy. Night, Jack." She said this and offered a brief wave to each. Then, she glanced up at Troy, who wore a look of disappointment and resignation. "Thanks for sharing Livvy with me, Troy."

He smiled at this. "I'll walk you out," he said softly.

Gabriella nodded and walked into the hallway. Troy followed her lead and they padded toward the front door in silence, Gabriella grabbing and slipping on her coat along the way. They could hear Jack and Lucille chatting in the den and knew that the sound carried both ways. Now was not the time and this was no longer the place to talk about what had happened between them. Troy glanced behind him to make sure they were still alone in the hallway before pulling his hand from his pocket and deftly tucking Gabriella's panties into her coat pocket. Leaning forward as he did so, he whispered playfully into her ear "purple's really not my color." Gabriella leaned forward, smothering her resulting giggle in Troy's shoulder.

"I'm just gonna go grab us some drinks," they heard Lucy say, as she crossed the hallway heading toward the kitchen. At this, Gabriella reached out and opened the door, turning and slipping outside. Troy swiftly grabbed his coat and followed her, with the intention of talking more outside.

"Oh, hey guys," Maria said with a smile. She and Eduardo were standing on the driveway below, facing the sky above the houses across the street. The snow had stopped a little while ago, but Maria quickly explained what they were looking at. "Did you hear the fireworks? Looks like some of the neighbors are setting them off early. Hope they don't wake up poor, little Livvy."

It took Troy and Gabriella a moment to regroup and then Gabriella responded sweetly, "Hey mom and dad. Um, yeah. We were just coming out here to check it out." Troy tried to smile and nod convincingly behind her, as they descended the stairs. He slipped his coat on along the way.

Then, standing next to but just a bit behind Gabriella's parents, they heard the familiar sound. It looked like the fireworks were being set off several streets away. As they watched, and as Troy could see that Maria and Eduardo's attention was focused elsewhere, Troy moved in closer to Gabriella.

Gabriella felt the heat of him standing behind her and to her left. The electricity ran through her body as he placed his hand on the small of her back. She leaned ever so slightly into it, her lips curving as she watched the night sky light up with firey colors. It was over too soon. The neighbors either ran out of their supply or decided not to push their luck further with the police that evening. Gabriella felt the chill of the air as Troy's warm hand left her back.

"So, were you on your way back home, sweetie?" Maria asked, turning back in the direction of her house.

"Yes, mom. I was going to hit the hay soon."

"Probably a good idea. You'll be up till all hours tomorrow, I'm sure."

Gabriella gave her mother a momentary blank stare.

"For the Evans' New Year's Eve party. You guys are going to that, right?"

"Yes," Troy answered smoothly. "Yes, we are."

Gabriella met his eyes and saw the twinkle in them. She also noted the charming smile he was flashing her and her parents. She turned back to them and nodded her agreement.

"Well, okay then," Maria replied with a chipper voice, exchanging sideways glances with her husband. What was going on with these two? Something was different.

It was Gabriella's turn to clear her throat. She turned to Troy. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

Troy nodded.

Gabriella grinned. "I know how you look forward to a good party," she teased lightly.

"Yes," Troy's lips twitched and he held her eyes with his own. "Every. Single. Day."

Gabriella's lips parted and her heartbeat quickened at his meaningfully chosen words. She smiled and held his gaze for a moment before turning and heading toward her front door. "Night, Troy!" she tossed over her shoulder before disappearing into the house.

"Night, Gabi!" he returned, smiling, before turning to say goodnight to Maria and Eduardo, who then followed their daughter into the house and closed the door.

Troy turned and looked up at the sky, a series of smiles lifting his lips as he thought back on tonight. Things were looking up. Yep, most definitely looking up.


	12. Tis the Season to Start Anew

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas/holiday songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Thanks so much for continuing to read and for your reviews, which make me smile again and again. :-) I had much fun writing this chapter - hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 12 - 'Tis the Season...To Start Anew

__

"Maybe it's much too early in the game

__

Oh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same

What are you doing New Year's

New Year's eve?

.

__

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight

When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night

Welcoming in the New Year

New Year's eve"

_._

Gabriella lay in bed that night smiling to herself and reliving the evening's events in her mind. She hadn't known what the evening would bring. She had just expected to enjoy his company...and she certainly had enjoyed it. Now, she had tomorrow night to look forward to...that was the pleasant thought she had before drifting off to sleep.

Gabriella woke up still smiling. She stretched lazily and turned to sneak a peek at her alarm clock. The time read 10:18. She had slept well, apparently. She had anticipated waking by 9. Gabriella's nose caught a whiff of something...vanilla? She turned her head back, eyes moving around her room and stopping abruptly, blinking, not sure if she was still dreaming. There, in the bean bag chair opposite her bed sat Troy, holding an insulated lidded paper cup. Gabriella rose up on her elbows.

"It's about time sleepy head," he purred. At least, it sounded like a purr to Gabriella. "Vanilla latte?"

Gabriella stared at the cup he held out in front of him. Slowly, her brain seemed to catch on to the situation at hand and her lips began to curve upward.

"You brought me a latte?"

Troy shrugged. "Only if you want it," he said with a devilish grin.

"I do," Gabriella replied smoothly, moving to sit up just as Troy rose from the bean bag chair and came around to the side of the bed. She held out her hand to accept the cup.

"Ah, ah, ah...not so fast, Montez," Troy said, moving his hand further from her reach.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows at him and he enlightened her to his meaning.

"I didn't say it was free." That deep voice...that sexy stare. Gabriella felt mesmerized. Troy sat down on the bed facing her.

"And what payment will you accept?" she asked saucily, putting a hand down on the bed and slowly leaning in his direction.

Troy smirked. He placed his weight on his right hand as he leaned forward slightly too. "Visa..." Lean. "Mastercard..." Lean. "Discover..."

Appropriate...since they were rediscovering each other.

Gabriella's lips joined with his at that moment. He mentally reminded himself not to drop the cup he held in his left hand, though he was definitely tempted to forget about the drink altogether.

The kiss was brief but sweet. Gabriella was conscious of the fact that she had yet to brush her teeth. Troy couldn't have cared less. She pulled back and saw Troy lick his lips and tilt his head thoughtfully. He lifted his right hand from the bed and slid it along her jaw until his fingers were nestled in her hair. "Costs a bit more than that." There was that purr again. God, he was sexy. He pulled her head back to him and captured her lips once more. They shared several more soft, sensual kisses before separating once again. Troy smiled at her, bringing the coffee cup up between them so she could grab it.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the cup and taking a sip. As the hot liquid hit her tongue and streamed down her throat, she glanced toward her balcony.

Troy noticed and answered her unspoken question. "Your mom let me in."

"Ah."

As Troy was returning his focus to Gabriella, he caught sight of the Rubik's photos once more. He got up and retrieved the cube, returning and sitting down on the bed again. Gabriella watched him with curiosity and then a bit of apprehension.

"So, I'm going to guess these are Susan and Paul?"

Gabriella looked down at the photo currently displaying on the cube.

"Yep, that's them."

"Mm...they look happy."

"Definitely."

Troy turned the cube over in his hands. "And are these two Chelsea and Lucy?"

"Right again. That was taken on our trip to Venice. See the gondola in the background?"

Troy nodded.

"They were so smitten with the gondolier," Gabriella continued with a smile, remembering her friends.

Troy smiled despite himself. Then the next photo flashed in front of him and that smile faltered a bit.

"And, I guess this is Alec, then?" he said, making an attempt at a casual tone.

Gabriella stared down at the photo of she and Alec posing in front of the Reflecting Pond at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. He had his arm comfortably slung across her shoulders. She thought back to the day the photo was taken. Alec had kissed her that night.

"Correct. You're good at this game," Gabriella answered, her attempt at levity apparently failing as she saw Troy studying the photo further. The next displayed photo was a group photo and there she was next to Alec again.

Troy stared at the photo and the one after that, yet another group shot.

Gabriella took another sip of her latte, watching Troy, trying to determine what she saw in his expression.

Fearful curiosity? Annoyance? Sad acceptance? She felt the need to set things straight. Just as she was about to speak, Troy beat her to the punch.

"Is it over?"

Gabriella could have played dumb but she knew what he was talking about and needed to clear the air as much as he did.

"It barely began."

There it was. Confirmation...confirmation that what Troy was seeing in those photos was really there. Troy set the Rubik's frame down on the bed. He didn't want to see anymore of the photos right now.

Gabriella watched the brief flash of pain cross Troy's face. She wanted to erase that. She wanted to make him happy.

"We were friends, Troy. We briefly...very briefly...entertained the idea that maybe we should try being something more...it gets lonely over there despite the host family and the friends...but we quickly realized that was stupid. We were meant to be friends...just friends.

"Why?" His voice cracked as he said it, despite himself. What are you doing, Bolton? Why are you torturing yourself? And yet he couldn't stop.

Gabriella looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Why was it stupid? You liked this guy. He's obviously a genius like you...probably really going places in life. You look happy," he said, hand flicking in the direction of the photo cube in annoyance. He looked up and saw Gabriella shaking her head back and forth.

"What are you saying, Troy?"

"I'm saying that you wanted this, didn't you? The chance to date others, not be tied down...so, why not? Or are you just minimizing what you two had to spare my feelings?"

"Troy...that's not...you have it all wrong."

"Do I?"

"Yes. And I'm telling the truth about Alec. But what about you? I know I left. I know that. But we both agreed to be free to date others. You agreed, Troy. You didn't have to agree..." Gabriella stopped, her voice beginning to shake. She looked away, trying to regain her composure.

Troy was flummoxed. What did she mean by that?

"Dammit, Troy. I don't want to fight." Her eyes met his once more and he could see the intensity there. "I want last night. I want this morning. I want..."

"Knock! Knock! Eddy's been at it in the kitchen. We've got French toast and eggs and sausage if you're hungry. We've got...orange...juice...too..." Maria's words came to an uncertain halt when she opened the door and read the uncomfortable tension in the room. Her daughter's mouth seemed to be mid-sentence and Troy seemed to be hanging on to whatever words had already been spoken, running them round in his head.

"Umm, I interrupted something. I'm sorry."

Gabriella looked up at her mom a bit dazed and Troy seemed to snap out of his own confusing thought cycle long enough to see Maria standing there and read the situation. He cleared his throat. "No, that's okay, Maria. Tell Eddy thanks but I need to get going. I promised Chad I'd help him with something today." With that, Troy rose from the bed and walked toward the bedroom door.

Gabriella blinked back tears that threatened to fall. "Troy!" she called just as he reached the door.

Troy turned around then to face her for a few heartstopping moments. Then he nodded slightly. "I'll see you later," he said softly but sincerely. And then he left the room, shuffled down the steps and exited through the front door.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay, mom. I think...we just need time to think. Just give me a moment and I'll be down. Dad's breakfast sounds great." She forced a smile. Maria smiled back and then went back downstairs. Gabriella remained sitting for a moment, sipping her latte and considering what had happened with Troy. Before heading downstairs, Gabriella retrieved her cell phone and typed one simple message, which she then sent to Troy.

"Us. I was going to say us."

* * *

Troy heard the ding of his cell phone as he slid into his car. Instinctively, he retrieved it from his pants pocket and stared at the screen. Us? Us. He turned the key in the ignition and drove off. He drove in circles around the neighborhood thinking about what they'd said to one another.

Gabriella enjoyed her parents' company as they all ate brunch together. She hadn't received a response to her text as of yet, but she hadn't expected to. She knew Troy would be mulling things over, that his mind might be taking him to all kinds of places he didn't want it to go, thinking about her relationship to Alec. She hadn't wanted to lie. If they were to start again and be together, she didn't want there to be dishonesty, but she also didn't want to hurt him. She needed to tell him more, assure him more.

Troy found himself at his favorite park. He grabbed the basketball he kept in his trunk and headed toward the set of courts. For a while, he lost himself in the dribbling, the running, the shooting. It was easy. It was second nature to him. Just like last night. Being with Gabriella, holding her after...that was so natural, so right. Then, this morning had begun with the same ease. He had told himself last night that he didn't want to know anymore about Alec, that he didn't need to...but when he'd caught sight of those photos again, he'd had to ask. Barely began. What did that mean? Was she sorry it had barely begun? But then what of her text? Us. Did she mean the us that knew how to be the best of friends? Or the us who also knew how to be lovers, confidants, partners?

"Hey."

He turned instinctively as he heard her voice.

"Hey."

"Hoped I might find you here."

"Ehrm, yeah...Chad didn't really need any help today."

"I gathered. He and Tay invited me to lunch, but I told them I'd just see them later."

"Ah," Troy said with a nod.

After a few moments of silence, Gabriella spoke. "Troy, there are two things you need to know and then I'll leave and let you have your space again if you want."

"Okay," Troy answered softly.

Gabriella stepped closer and took a slow breath. "First, you need to know that I didn't say we should be free to see others because I wanted to see others. I just wanted to be fair to you. I didn't want you to have to wait on me or deal with the long-distance relationship stuff if you didn't want to. I didn't want to hold you back. I thought that was the mature thing to do. It seemed logical and right...until I said it and you agreed."

"But..."

"I know, I know. I had no right to want you not to agree if I really was trying to offer you that freedom. And I have no right to kind of hate the girls you dated this semester...but I do."

"I didn't want freedom, Gabi. I thought you did. I thought you were tired of me...that you knew there were other guys out there...smarter guys...better guys...guys more suited for you. I didn't want to hold you back if that's what you really wanted...and, there were all of two girls, two dates...that Disney would have approved of."

A tear ran down Gabriella's cheek and she swiped it away. She shook her head as if trying to erase the original misunderstanding. "We're idiots."

Troy raised both eyebrows at this. "Or...maybe we just both think a lot about making each other happy."

"To the point of being sad?"

"Yeah...we'll have to work on that."

Gabriella liked the sound of that. Troy gave her a half smile, which she returned easily. "Okay."

They stood there in silence for several more beats until Troy spoke again. "And the second thing?"

Gabriella's face lit up with realization. "Oh! Sorry. The second thing you need to know is..." She paused, considering her words. "Anything you're imagining about Alec is worse than actual reality. If you ask me anything, I'll be honest, but you just need to know that there's no threat there. He makes a good friend, but my heart has always belonged to you."

Troy took all this in, face thoughtful.

Gabriella watched him, half holding her breath. When the silence became too unnerving, she decided she'd best keep her promise. "Okay, um, I guess I'll let you get back to practicing then..." Giving him one last small smile, she turned to head back toward her car, biting her lip and wondering if she'd said enough. She had gone just a few steps before she heard his deep voice call to her.

"Gabi!"

She stopped and turned, not sure what he'd say, but hopeful.

"There's one more thing I need to know."

"Anything."

"Are we...together again?"

Gabriella's heart began to beat faster. "If you'll have me, I'd like nothing more."

The corners of Troy's lips began to twitch, slowly rising into a charming smile. "You're sure you don't want to see anyone else? Some other math major or anything?"

"No. And stop thinking things like that. You have every quality I want and you are very smart, and witty, and charming, and handsome, and kind, and you have a great future ahead of you and I'm lucky to know you, let alone to get to love you."

Troy was rendered half speechless by Gabriella's words and her sincerity. Instead of speaking, therefore, he stepped closer to her, reaching out and cradling her face in his hands and staring into her beautiful eyes. She met his gaze with love and hope and trust. He leaned forward and she met him halfway. Their lips joined, clinging and expressing relief and longing. When they pulled back, they smiled at one another before Troy bent down, wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist and pulled her body up to meet his. He started placing butterfly kisses on her nose, her forehead, and her chin and then he spun her around happily. Gabriella laughed with joyful abandon, enjoying the moment, feeling so glad she'd come to the park and found him.

Setting her down, Troy hugged her to him with much feeling. Together again. He felt ecstatic. He could get over the Alec stuff because he knew she was his, that he was the one she wanted to be with. He could put those fears to rest. He had missed her so much, but now they were going to start a new year together and he felt so blessed to get to do so. He breathed in the lovely scent of her hair, rememorized the feel of her curves against his body.

"Soooo, what would you say to having lunch with your boyfriend?"

Gabriella grinned happily. "I could do lunch. I think I saw a vending truck in the parking lot."

Troy raised an eyebrow, amused. "What? A hot dog with mustard has your name written all over it?"

"Something like that."

"But what if I wanted to take you to a classier joint...like Taco Barn?" Troy teased.

"Well, what girl could say no to Taco Barn?" Gabriella teased back.

"Come on...we can decide on the way to the lot," Troy said, quickly retrieving his ball and stuffing it under one arm before returning to Gabriella's side and holding his hand out to her.

Gabriella linked her hand with his, inwardly doing cartwheels and somersaults, more than pleased with how this day was turning out.

Troy squeezed her hand and gave her his heartstopping smile before turning and leading them in the direction of their cars.

"Now, it is customary for the boyfriend to pay, right?" Gabriella joked.

Troy pretended to ponder the question for a moment. "Hmm...I'm not sure...is that how they do it in Europe?"

Gabriella reached over and gave him a playful smack on the chest.

"Ow!" Troy said in an exaggerated tone. "I hope you plan to kiss that and make it better."

"Depends on whether I like my lunch," Gabriella replied hastily, releasing Troy's hand and running ahead of him. Chuckling, Troy ran after her, dropping the ball as he caught up to her and grabbing her by the waist and tickling her until she tumbled to the ground giggling. Hovered over her, Troy laughed, feeling like such a weight had been lifted. He was happy again. When the giggling stopped, the kissing began...they _eventually_ had lunch.

* * *

"Troy, they're going to be doing the countdown soon."

"We can do a countdown," Troy responded, lowering his head and kissing her shoulder. "Ten..." Kissing her neck, he continued, "Nine..."

Gabriella pressed her lips together, trying to maintain her focus.

"Eight..." He whispered into her ear, directly after teasing her earlobe with his tongue.

A shiver ran through Gabriella.

"Seven..." His lips covered her own and she couldn't resist kissing him back for several delicious minutes.

As their kiss ended, Gabriella smiled up at him apologetically before slipping out from under the sheet and starting to retrieve her clothing, effectively discontinuing his tantalizing countdown.

Troy sighed, watching her bare form shimmying into her dress in front of him. Running a hand through his hair, he smiled to himself and then sat up, rising from the bed and seeking his own garments. "You kill me, woman," he joked.

Gabriella laughed. "No, but Sharpay might if she realizes we're missing during the most important part of the party."

"I don't see why it matters if we're there or not. No one else is kissing you at midnight anyway."

"Aww, man...Kelsi will be so disappointed..."

Troy quirked an eyebrow at this. "Well...I could make an exception..."

Troy's tie hit him in the chest. Why Sharpay insisted these things be so formal was beyond Troy. "Boys...you're all too easy."

Troy finished buttoning up his shirt and looped the tie around his neck. "You didn't seem to mind an hour ago."

"Mmm...stop trying to distract me."

"Is it working?"

"You know it is. Come on. We only have a few minutes," she said, slipping on her heels.

"You still haven't told me why it matters," Troy shot back, giving her a hard time just for the fun of it.

Gabriella tilted her head, thoughtful for a moment. Then, she took the few steps necessary to find herself standing directly in front of him. Placing her arms around his neck, she looked lovingly up at him. "It matters because we're setting the tone for the whole year. The one you kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve is the one you'll still be with at the end of the new year...and I want nothing more than that." She finished her thought by rising up on her toes and giving him a brief kiss.

Troy stared down at her with pure happiness for several moments. Then, a humored expression appeared on his face. "And you don't think the last hour has set the tone already?"

Gabriella giggled and pushed away from him. "Humor me."

Troy bowed his head, acknowledging his agreement. Gabriella turned to head toward the closed door.

"Wait..."

Gabriella steeled herself, not sure she could resist the temptation of staying here in one of the Evans' many guest rooms with him if he were to continue being so persuasive. She turned slowly to see Troy standing there, a cocky smirk on his face, spinning something on his finger that she had once again forgotten about.

"Woman, you have got to stop flinging your underwear all over the place."

...

Ten minutes later, they found themselves counting down the final seconds of the year, their closest friends surrounding them. Following a heartfelt kiss at the stroke of midnight, Troy continued to hold Gabriella in his arms. "Happy now?" he asked softly.

"Very," Gabriella answered sincerely. "This is how I had hoped to start the new year."

"Me too," Troy replied huskily. "I love you, Gabi."

"I love you too, Troy."

Following many hugs with friends and a few toasts to the year ahead, Troy and Gabriella found themselves back in the same guest room, continuing where they'd left off with their own personal countdown and beginning the new year as they would later end it, in each other's arms.


	13. Tis the Season To Make Promises

**'Tis the Season**

Summary: Follow Troy and Gabriella through several holiday seasons, as their relationship with one another grows and changes. Fluffy AU Troyella fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters (or any part of the HSM franchise)...I just love them like the rest of you. :-) I also do not own any Christmas/holiday songs, their lyrics, their rights, or the artists who have performed them...in case you actually wondered. ;-)

Author's Note: Well, 'tis the season for a new chapter for this story. ;-) I don't care what has or hasn't happened with our dear true life Troy and Gabriella. I'm in blissful denial or am hopeful for the future or something. But, regardless, in our lovely fictional world, life is good. Ha! Ha! So, I guess here is my holiday gift to you, my awesome readers. This chapter does reference things from a number of the previous chapters. Just a heads up in case it's been a while since you read them. Anyway, enjoy and, as always, please let me know what you thought if you have a moment. Happy Holidays! P.S. If you're waiting on the next chapter of E2L, it is in the works, but I just couldn't resist doing a chapter for this story before Christmas. :-)

* * *

Chapter 13 - 'Tis the Season...To Make Promises

__

"And I don't need a hundred gifts beneath the tree

____

Don't you know the best thing you could give to me

Nothin' else will do,

All I want is you this Christmas

.

I don't want the love of any other girl

I want only one thing in this whole wide world

Nothing else will do

All I want is you this Christmas"

_

* * *

_

December 23rd...age 22

"Troy Bolton," Gabriella called, entering the apartment they had shared since graduating college in May, "I'd better find you standing next to a fully-packed suitcase!" Saying this, she threw her coat over the arm of the couch and made her way back to their bedroom. She was surprised to find the room empty, but for the half-packed suitcase she'd left on the bed this morning, only her own clothing and other needed items for their trip back to Albuquerque for Christmas found inside it. She felt baffled, worried, and annoyed. They were flying out this evening and Troy had apparently not packed a single thing since she'd gone into the office this morning to wrap up a few things before their trip. Just as she was reaching into her pocket to retrieve her cell phone, her eyes scanned the bed once more and she noticed a small piece of paper sitting on top of her pillow. She moved to pick it up and noticed a photo had been sitting underneath it. She glanced at the photo and then the piece of paper, which had a note on it from Troy. She read it, a curious expression on her face.

.

_Gabi,_

_Don't be mad. I promise that there's enough time for packing. Just do me a favor and humor me for a few minutes so that I can give you one of your Christmas presents a little early. Okay? Okay. Now, just take a look at the photo that was with this note and find what's in the picture. Thanks!_

_I love you,_

_Troy_

_._

Deciding to do as Troy wished, she picked up the photo and stared at it for a second before entering the master bathroom that was attached to their bedroom. There, on the sink counter, she saw the bottle of Enchanted Orchid lotion the photo had shown. Troy had gotten it for her for her birthday a few months ago. He still bought her her favorite scent after all these years. She saw that sitting propped against the bottle was another photo. Seeing it, she figured she was supposed to go find what was in it as well. So, she found herself next heading toward the kitchen. There, taped to the oven door, she found another photo and a short note.

.

_I'd be happy to kiss you if you decide you want to bake up a cake for me while you're standing over here... ;-)_

.

Grinning and shaking her head, she turned away from the oven, glanced down at the next photo, and then walked over to the entertainment storage unit in their living room, scanning titles until she found the Mariah Carey "Merry Christmas" cd. She pulled it out and opened the case. Inside, she found another small note:

.

_All I want for Christmas is you. You're all I ever want. :-) Now, please find your favorite beach photo of us... ;-)_

.

Smiling, Gabriella turned toward a set of shelves in their living room where they displayed a number of photos. There, she located the photo of them on the beach, taken during the cruise their families had taken when they were seventeen...on a day she would never forget. Sitting under it on the shelf was another clue photo. It showed their Christmas tree. Gabriella had a look of bemusement on her face as she moved over to the tree. Perched on one of the branches right out front was a picture of a rectangular present wrapped in white paper with silver snowflakes. She grinned, sitting down next to the tree and finding the present pictured beneath it. Unwrapping the box, she noted that it felt very light. As she lifted the lid, she saw another note from Troy.

.

_Well, that would just be too normal and predictable, wouldn't it? ;-) Please go open the laptop._

_._

Gabriella laughed at his note, standing up and moving over to where the laptop was resting on top of their coffee table. She sat down on the couch and opened it. After entering their password, she saw that Troy had a media player open, which appeared ready to play something. Following her natural instinct, she moved the mouse over and hit play. And there he was...

The computer showed a video of Troy, sitting on the same couch on which she now sat, holding his guitar on his lap.

"Hi Gabi. Thanks for humoring me with my creative gift-giving tactic this year. I know we get busy at times with our work and social events and such, but I just wanted to make sure you knew how much I love our life and how much I love you. I think that this song says pretty well just how I feel about you, so I hope you enjoy my own faulty version of it."

In the video, she watched as Troy smiled back at her lovingly and then positioned his guitar, moving his hands to the strings. Troy had gotten that guitar in junior high school, back before they ever started dating, back when he'd thought learning to play would add to his "cool factor" and help him out with the ladies. Gabriella's eyes sparkled as he began to play...she couldn't argue with the logic...his guitar playing certainly hadn't hurt his appeal. Her lips curved and she felt her heart fill with warmth as she recognized the song he was singing to her.

.

_"Oh her eyes, her eyes_

_Make the stars look like they're not shining_

_Her hair, her hair_

_Falls perfectly without her trying_

_She's so beautiful_

_And I tell her every day_

_Yeah I know, I know_

_When I compliment her_

_She won't believe me_

_And it's so, it's so_

_Sad to think she don't see what I see_

_But every time she asks me do I look okay_

_I say_

_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

_Cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile,_

_The whole world stops and stares for awhile_

_Cause girl you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_Her lips, her lips_

_I could kiss them all day if she'd let me_

_Her laugh, her laugh_

_She hates but I think it's so sexy_

_She's so beautiful_

_And I tell her every day_

_Oh you know, you know, you know_

_I'd never ask you to change_

_If perfect's what you're searching for_

_Then just stay the same_

_So don't even bother asking_

_If you look okay_

_You know I'll say_

_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

_Cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile,_

_The whole world stops and stares for awhile_

_Cause girl you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_The way you are_

_The way you are_

_Girl you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

_Cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile,_

_The whole world stops and stares for awhile_

_Cause girl you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_._

Gabriella's eyes had welled up a bit with emotion while Troy had sung the Bruno Mars song to her. Finishing the song, Troy stared out at her from the computer screen, sincerity radiating from his face.

"It's true, Gabi. You're amazing...and I'm so lucky to have you. I hope you know that and always remember it." Troy paused, smiling. "Now, do me a favor, babe and go out to the balcony."

Gabriella stared curiously back at the screen as the video ended. Standing up, she walked into the dining room, the room to which the apartment's small balcony was attached. Opening the curtained door, she stepped outside, the chilly air sweeping across her face, though her sweater and jeans helped the rest of her body hold the warmth of the apartment. There, standing against the railing and smiling at her was Troy.

"I remember when I climbed onto the balcony to your room six years ago. I had no idea what I was going to do there. I just knew I needed to be there...with you."

"It turned out pretty well for you," Gabriella teased lightly, eyes sparkling as she stared back at her handsome boyfriend.

Troy chuckled softly. "It did," he agreed.

She wanted to go to him and remind him exactly how that night had turned out, but something about the way he was acting kept her rooted to her spot.

"And see, the thing I knew that night is the same thing I've known ever since," Troy continued, taking a step toward her. "I still just need to be...with you. I always will."

Gabriella felt her heart start to beat a bit faster beneath his unwavering gaze. He took another step toward her and she glanced down and noticed he held something in his left hand. It looked like the back of another photo.

Troy saw her eyes flicker downward. He took a calming breath and brought his left hand up. "There's just one more photo," he said, handing it to her with the blank back side facing up.

She met his eyes for a charged moment and then accepted the photo from him, turning it over slowly. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw what was pictured. It was a closed jewelers' ring box. Looking away from the photo, she saw that Troy was no longer standing, but was instead now kneeling in front of her, the same ring box from the photo resting in his right hand. Her heart started to really thump in earnest.

"Gabriella Montez, I love you more than I ever could have imagined, more than I've ever loved anyone, and more than I ever will. You've been in my life for so long...as my neighbor, then my friend, then my girlfriend and the woman I love. I thought I lost you there briefly and it was the worst four months of my life...because, you see, you are the best part of my life. You are my favorite person in the world...the one I love to talk to, to laugh with, to plan with. You're the one I want to see when I open my eyes first thing in the morning and you're the only woman I ever want to come home to. So, now, selfishly, I want you to be something else to me...my wife." Troy took a breath and then opened the ring box, showing the beautiful diamond ring that was perched inside it. "Gabi, will you marry me?"

Gabriella's hands were shaking and the tears of happiness in her eyes were blurring her vision. She blinked and sucked in a breath before opening her mouth and finding her voice. "Yes! Yes!" she exclaimed joyfully, grinning from ear to ear as she watched Troy slide the ring onto her finger before standing up to face her once more. His grin gave hers a run for its money.

Soon both grins gave way, as their mouths had a more pressing need to attend to. Troy slid his hand 'round her neck and his fingers into her hair as he'd done years ago. Gabriella's arms came around him in the embrace that always felt so much more than right. Then, their lips met-impatiently, greedily, happily...naturally. Their loving kiss lasted a while and when they finally pulled apart, the magnetic force between them drew them back in again.

"I love you," Troy whispered against her lips as they separated once more.

"Not more than I love you," Gabriella whispered back, her eyes rising to meet his in a loving gaze.

"So, am I to assume you like this Christmas present?" Troy asked huskily, lips curving in a manner Gabriella always found to be super sexy.

"Hmm," Gabriella said teasingly, pulling back slightly and holding her left hand up in front of her for inspection. The brilliant diamond sparkled in the sunlight. It was exactly what she had always wanted. "I think I do."

"Those are the words everyone will want to hear now...well, minus the 'I think' part," Troy said with a chuckle.

Gabriella grinned. "I'll practice to make sure I've got it just right before I say it in front of them."

"Sounds good."

"We might want to practice to make sure we've got that whole honeymoon thing down ahead of time too..." Gabriella said temptingly.

"Mmm, I like the way you think," Troy replied, pulling her more snugly to him. Leaning down, he kissed her once more briefly on the lips and then spoke again. "But, sadly, we don't really have time to start practicing right now."

Gabriella quirked her head at him for a moment and then her eyes grew bigger as a realization dawned on her. "Oh! We need to get you packed!"

Troy grabbed her gently as she started to pull away to see to the task. "Wait, babe. We don't actually need to do that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Troy said slowly, "that's another Christmas present."

Gabriella stared back at him, scrunching up her face a little bit, not comprehending.

"I mean...we don't need to go to Albuquerque because Albuquerque has come to us this year."

A small, half-skeptical smile formed on Gabriella's face.

"Come on," Troy said, kissing her once more on the forehead before leading her back inside the apartment.

"Do I get another clue?" Gabriella asked jokingly.

Troy laughed. "Sure. Where would guests be sleeping if they were visiting us?"

Gabriella eyed him questioningly, then disbelievingly as she moved steadily toward the guest room door. Troy followed, just smiling knowingly. When she got to the door, she paused for a moment, glancing at Troy before reaching for the knob and turning it. She was met with a group of familiar faces all looking back at her eagerly.

"Well?" Chad said after a silent moment. Behind her, Troy grinned and nodded at everyone in the room.

"Yay!" Kelsi exclaimed happily. That sentiment was expressed in various ways by everyone else gathered in the room, which included Lucille, Jack, and Olivia Bolton, Maria and Eduardo Montez, Chad and Taylor, Kelsi and Jason, and Sharpay and Zeke.

"Oh my gosh, what are you all doing here?" Gabriella asked, flummoxed.

"Um, duh! We're here for your engagement party," Sharpay answered.

Gabriella looked up at Troy, who had put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. "They're here for Christmas too. Well, our parents and Livvy anyway. Chad, Tay, Kels, Jason, Sharpay, and Zeke are flying back to Albuquerque tomorrow, but they're here to celebrate with us tonight."

"And we want to celebrate," Lucy said emphatically, standing up and coming toward Gabriella. "Come here, future daughter-in-law! I don't know how our son got so lucky, but we're sure glad he did," she said, embracing Gabriella warmly.

"We got lucky too," Jack said, hugging her next.

"I don't know. Troy won't make too shabby a son-in-law," Eduardo said jovially, approaching Troy and shaking his hand in a congratulatory manner.

"We couldn't ask for a better daughter AND son," Maria said, giving them both a heartfelt hug. "Congratulations!"

Gabriella felt a tug at her leg and looked down to see her small future sister-in-law staring up at her with big, excited eyes. "Livvy's ring?" she asked, pointing to Gabriella's new accessory. Everyone laughed as Gabriella bent down to pick her up and Troy assured Livvy that Santa might be bringing her one too, knowing he had gotten her a pretty toy ring for her stocking.

All of Troy and Gabriella's friends came over then and hugged Gabriella and slapped Troy on the back. After they all moved into the living room, someone brought out champagne and glasses and everyone toasted the newly engaged couple. Said couple snuck back out to their balcony a few hours later.

"Troy, all of this...this day, my ring, having everyone here...it's all been amazing."

"Every day with you is amazing, Gabi. I'm glad I could return the favor just a little bit."

Gabriella's smiling face glowed in the moonlight. "I can't wait to be your wife," she said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Troy slid his arms around her back as well. "Well, I'm sure we could throw a few of my things in the suitcase and be in Vegas in a few hours," he teased.

"Well, I can wait a little while," Gabriella said with a laugh.

"We can wait enough time to make sure our wedding day is everything you want it to be."

Gabriella tucked her head between Troy's shoulder and chin, lightly brushing her lips against his neck. "If I'm walking toward you, it will be."

They stood in comfortable silence for several minutes, just holding each other and feeling utterly content.

"We should probably get back inside," Troy said, breaking the silence.

Gabriella pulled back slightly, nodding. "Just one thing."

"Hmm?"

"Well, I'll need to practice the 'I do' part and the honeymoon part...but what about the part after 'I do'...the part that comes after 'I now pronounce you man and wife?' I think we need to practice that too."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yes. We should get a jumpstart on that now."

Troy grinned down at her. "Anything for my wife-to-be," he said, his eyes taking in all of her face and then focusing on her lips. Leaning in, he captured those lips in a long, loving kiss...a kiss full of hope for the future...a kiss that was a promise of a lifetime of kisses ahead of them.

* * *

_"Cuz I've been waiting to give this gift tonight_

_I'm down on my knees, there's no better time_

_It's something to last for as long as you live_

_Tonight I'm going to give you (oh girl!) all my heart can give!"_

:-D


End file.
